Apple CEO Tim Cook buys lavish estate

PHOTO: Tim Cook

This deal actually closed a very long time ago, back near the dawn of time. (Two years ago, to be more precise, long before COVID-19 had entered the general lexicon and face masks were a political talking point.) But although long suspected, it’s taken until now to finally confirm that the mystery Silicon Valley buyer who paid $10.1 million for a mansion in La Quinta’s celebrity-infested Madison Club was Apple chieftain Tim Cook.

Back in March 2020, astute news mavens may recall, Cook and several other famous individuals were exposed to COVID during a private La Quinta birthday party for his Madison Club neighbor Lucian Grainge. Grainge was later hospitalized from virus complications.

Developed by Discovery Land Company, guard-gated Madison Club has become primarily known for expensive homes, its highly-ranked Tom Fazio-designed course, and for its many celebrity residents. Other Madison Club homeowners include Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, Cindy Crawford, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Nike founder Phil Knight and Scooter Braun.

Though the MLS listing service says Cook paid $10.1 million for his Madison Club estate, public records list the amount at “only” $9.1 million. Either way, he got a deal on the place. The property had been listed at $11.5 million; with desert home values still skyrocketing, the .8-acre spread is likely worth somewhere near $12 million today. But with a reputed $1.5 billion net worth, it’s unlikely Cook needs the extra equity.

Spanning 10,000 square feet, the sprawling home is vaguely Germanic in all its hard-edged and austere glory. Spec-built by a developer and completed in late 2018, the place is essentially color-free throughout, with only a few shades of brown and beige to balance the whites and grays that otherwise fill the interiors.