Kirsten Grind & Heather Knight: When a Tech Billionaire Moves in Next Door

Schedule

Thu Nov 20 2025 at 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm

UTC-08:00

Location

The Commonwealth Club | San Francisco, CA

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Hear what happens when tech billionaires move into the neighborhood.
About this Event

Over the past decade, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has bought up at least 11 houses around his home in a quiet residential Palo Alto neighborhood, spending more than $110 million to create a family compound, according to a recent New York Times investigation. And the neighbors are not happy—despite his gift of noise-canceling headphones to drown out construction noise.

“Since his arrival 14 years ago, Crescent Park’s neighborhood tranquillity and even many of its actual neighbors have vanished,” the Times found. “Residents hardly ever see the Facebook founder, now worth about $270 billion, but they feel his presence every day.”

But Zuckerberg isn’t the only elite tech titan to become a controversial neighbor. The Times has also investigated Elon Musk’s conflict with residents of West Lake Hills, Texas, over fences, cameras, and building codes.

Join New York Times investigative business reporter Kirsten Grind and San Francisco bureau chief Heather Knight to hear what happens when tech billionaires move into the neighborhood. We’ll also go behind the scenes with them to learn about how the Times covers the Bay Area and the tech industry . . . and they’ll take your questions.

Speakers

Kirsten Grind, Investigative Business Reporter, The New York Times

Heather Knight, San Francisco Bureau Chief, The New York Times

Sheera Frankel, Reporter, The New York Times

5:30 p.m. doors open & check-in
6–7 p.m. program
(all times Pacific Time)

Photos courtesy the speakers.

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Where is it happening?

The Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 27.33

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