On the Heels of $125M Acquisition in the 90210, Billionaire Jan Koum Pays $87M for Home Next-Door to His $100M Architectural in Malibu

Published: February 20, 2021 | By: American Luxury Staff

In the halcyon days—relatively speaking—of August 2019, WhatsApp founder and onetime CEO Jan Koum invested heavily in a Charles Gwathmey-designed postmodern mansion on a broad promontory overlooking Malibu’s beachfront. The home, which is known as the ‘Malibu Residence’, is an architectural powerhouse, and it sits on three acre of grounds in one of the more desirable corners of the Los Angeles area.

Koum paid NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer $100 million for the property just eighteen months ago, but that didn’t stop him from recently snapping up a neighboring house for a resounding $87 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. The property closed this month, adding another three acres and a seven-bedroom house to what has now become a compound.

According to public records, the property last sold in 2005, for $21 million. At the time, the house on the lot was a four-bedroom of about 4,000 square feet. Whether it was torn down for a custom build, expanded upon, or just renovated into its current seven-bedroom layout is unclear. A look at the listing photos reveals top-flight materials and craftsmanship details and, perhaps more importantly, a lavishly expansive outdoor living area with broad swaths of lawn, gardens, and a stone pool and patio area. The property was owned by Diana Jenkins, who listed it last year for $125 million.

Like Koum’s Gwathmey-next-door, the property features private beach access, as well as a cozy fire-lounge cabana with a wet bar waiting at the bottom of the access staircase.

In November of last year, Koum made another significant purchase in a different but equally desirable spot: he paid $125 million for billionaire Jeffrey Katzenberg’s 90210 residence.

Koum doesn’t only collect trophy homes—he happens to be a “Porschephile” as well. He auctioned off a collection of Porsches back in 2019.

Koum’s net worth is around $10 billion.

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