There’s a real estate mystery playing out on North Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach—and insiders say a Microsoft billionaire is behind it.
Over the past several months, a buyer believed to be Charles Simonyi—the early Microsoft engineer credited with creating Word and Excel—has quietly assembled one of the Florida island’s most valuable private estates in a series of blockbuster, off-market deals. Outlets including The Real Deal and The Wall Street Journal report that the cumulative price tag ranges from $250 million to upwards of $350 million. If accurate, that would place the future trophy property in rare company, rivaling the likes of Ken Griffin’s now-legendary $1 billion spread just down the road.
At the heart of the rumored mega-compound are two prized oceanfront parcels at 1063 and 1071 North Ocean Boulevard. Once owned by Estée Lauder heir William Lauder, the adjoining lots span 2.3 acres and feature 360 feet of direct beachfront. Originally listed for $177.8 million, they sold quietly this February for a reported price north of $160 million. The buyer remains officially unidentified, though Ryan Serhant—best known for Million Dollar Listing New York and now head of his own brokerage—served as the lead agent on the deal.
But the spending spree didn’t end there. In June, two more properties across the street traded hands in separate, off-market transactions—both raising eyebrows for their lofty price points. One, formerly owned by media executive Cathie Black and her husband, attorney Thomas Harvey, sold for $18 million to a Delaware-based LLC. The couple had purchased the 3,600-square-foot Mediterranean-style house for $4.2 million in 2018. Next door, another 5,800-square-foot home sold for $30 million—nearly six times its 2017 purchase price of $5.3 million.
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Two prized oceanfront lots on N. Ocean Blvd once owned William Lauder span 2.3 acres.
Google Earth
Both sales are tied to LLCs registered through Seattle-based attorney Greyson Blue, who has past connections to the Gates Foundation and the Gates family. That has only intensified speculation, fueling rumors that someone from the Microsoft orbit—perhaps Bill Gates himself—is the real buyer. However, a person close to the foundation told the WSJ that Gates isn’t involved.
Simonyi, who has a net worth estimated at $8.2 billion, is now considered the most likely candidate. The LLC structure, legal ties, and appetite for big, quiet spending all point to him. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has also been floated as a possibility.
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And the land grab may not be over. Simonyi—if he is in fact the buyer—is reportedly eyeing even more parcels, including rocker Jon Bon Jovi’s $43 million oceanfront home and another nearby property owned by casino magnate William Rickman Jr. If those deals close, the resulting compound could stretch across more than four acres on one of the country’s most expensive streets.
In a town known for generational wealth and extreme privacy, this new Palm Beach power estate is emerging as one of the boldest moves in recent memory. And while Griffin may still hold the title for the most expensive compound in the country, a Microsoft billionaire could soon give him a run for his money—if not his square footage.
Authors
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Abby Montanez
