Key Takeaways
For the Silicon Valley elite, Donald Trump’s presidency offers a rare opportunity to shape government policy as the White House embarks on a complete overhaul of the federal bureaucracy.
To maximize their influence with Washington’s top brass, including Trump himself, Big Tech billionaires are establishing a presence in the capital and snapping up prime real estate close to the White House.
Although Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly secured an office in the Eisenhower building, right next door to the president himself, the question of where he will live remains.
Historically, Musk hasn’t shown much interest in the kind of lavish real estate typically associated with the super-rich. He doesn’t own any hotels, private islands, or even a mansion in the Hamptons.
But according to Eater Washington DC, he now has his eyes on the Line DC, a hotel in the city’s trendy Adams Morgan neighborhood.
Despite speculation that he was ready to bid, Musk was nowhere to be seen when the Line went up for auction on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The property has now been purchased by ACORE Capital, which settled an $86 million debt plus an additional million in cash to become its new owner. But that doesn’t rule out Musk acquiring it from ACORE.
The Eater reported that Musk planned to turn the Line into a private social club, suggesting that he may have been inspired by the revolving door of billionaires that graced Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort over winter.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times on Wednesday, Jan. 29, reported that Mark Zuckerberg was also shopping for a property in DC.
Zuckerberg, who has thawed his previously frosty relationship with Trump over the last year, has signaled his intention to take an active role in lobbying the new administration.
In September, he reportedly joined the Business Roundtable, an elite association of CEOs that advocates for corporate America.
On the eve of Trump’s inauguration, Zuckerberg attended a party at PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel’s mansion in the capital, where he brushed shoulders with other business leaders and members of the president’s inner circle.
Thiel reportedly paid $13 million for the property in 2021 and counts Washington fixtures Penny Pritzker, Kellyanne Conway, and Steven Mnuchin as neighbors.
Like Thiel, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been established in DC for several years now.
In 2016, Bezos bought the former Textile Museum for $23 million. Located in the Kalorama neighborhood, the property is one of the best the city has to offer, combining two adjacent mansions built around the turn of the twentieth century.
While many Big Tech billionaires have been buying up property in DC, eBay founder Jeff Skoll opted for a place in McLean, less than an hour’s drive away in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Skoll’s complex adjoins two parcels totaling about 9 acres, which cost him $25.5 million.
Although he bought the property shortly after Trump’s election, in comments to the Wall Street Journal, Skoll highlighted its proximity to several Washington-based sports teams he has an interest in via his minority stake in Monumental Sports Entertainment.
“I decided it would be great to have a home in the area so I could be there more often,” he said, noting that the Washington Capitals hockey team had its stadium nearby.