Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison reportedly spent nearly $10 million on eight homes in a gated Boynton Beach community, not for his own use but to house members of his family’s staff. The purchases, made in 2023, included accommodations for employees such as tutors who work with some of his children, according to a report cited by Yahoo Finance.
Key takeaways
- Eight homes in Palm Meadows Estates were reportedly purchased for nearly $10 million.
- The properties were intended for members of Ellison’s household staff, including some of his children’s tutors.
- The homes are about 30 minutes from Ellison’s Manalapan estate and provide staff with nearby housing outside the family’s main residence.
A series of purchases in Palm Meadows Estates
The homes are in Palm Meadows Estates, a 288-home gated community in Boynton Beach, between West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. According to The Wall Street Journal, as cited in the report, a limited liability company with a California address bought the properties from different sellers. The deals closed within weeks of one another in May and June 2023, and most of the homes were not publicly listed.
The buyer’s identity was initially unclear to residents, the report said. Some speculated that the purchases were connected to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk before they were attributed to Ellison.
Housing near the family’s Florida estate
Ellison and his wife, Jolin, have five children, all reportedly younger than 18. Some of the older children are homeschooled at the family’s Manalapan estate, where multiple tutors help teach them, including in several languages, according to people familiar with the family cited by the Journal.
The Palm Meadows homes are relatively modest suburban properties compared with Ellison’s oceanfront Manalapan compound, which he bought for a reported $173 million in 2022. The community offers 24-hour security, a recreation center, a pool, fitness facilities, and tennis and pickleball courts.
Why employers provide staff housing
The arrangement allows employees to live close to the family while remaining outside its primary residence. Peter Mahler of Mahler Private Staffing told the Journal that employer-provided housing can help wealthy households recruit in costly areas and make commutes more manageable. Some employers also prefer off-site accommodation to preserve family privacy, he said.
The purchases illustrate one way affluent households can organize domestic staffing, particularly when employees need to be nearby. The report did not detail how the homes are assigned among staff or whether employees pay rent.