{"id":101837,"date":"2025-08-27T22:37:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T22:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/101837\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T22:37:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T22:37:07","slug":"mark-zuckerberg-gifted-neighbors-headphones-for-construction-noise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/101837\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Zuckerberg gifted neighbors headphones for construction noise"},"content":{"rendered":"

These headphones won\u2019t drown out the neighbors\u2019 frustration.<\/p>\n

Mark Zuckerberg may have thought he was turning down the volume on discontent in Palo Alto, California.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead, his latest gesture \u2014 distributing noise-canceling headphones, sparkling wine and Krispy Kreme donuts to the families living alongside his multiyear building spree \u2014 has amplified resentment, according to Fortune<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more than a decade, the Meta chief and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have methodically acquired at least 11 properties in the Crescent Park neighborhood, transforming what was once a quiet enclave of professors and executives into a private compound worth more than $110 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s ongoing expansion of his Palo Alto compound has left neighbors furious, despite his recent attempt at goodwill by gifting them noise-canceling headphones. FilmMagic<\/p>\n

Critics online blasted Zuckerberg\u2019s headphones gesture as condescending, with one calling him a \u201cd****nozzle\u201d and others questioning how billionaires lose touch with reality. kittyfly \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

The project, which has included guest houses, gardens, a private school, underground facilities and frequent outdoor gatherings, has brought with it years of construction noise,<\/a> blocked driveways and heightened security surveillance.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo neighborhood wants to be occupied,\u201d Michel Kieschnick, who lives on Hamilton Avenue told the New York Times.<\/a> \u201cBut that\u2019s exactly what they\u2019ve done. They\u2019ve occupied our neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zuckerberg also reportedly gifted neighbors sparkling wine. silberkorn73 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Krispy Kreme donuts were also part of the gift package to neighbors. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Social media users say the gifts are more insulting than conciliatory. One called the gesture the equivalent of saying, \u201cSorry for being an insufferable d*****nozzle, here are some noise canceling headphones.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another posted, \u201cThese a**holes live in such a different world than us, and it\u2019s f**ing sickening.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Others chimed in: \u201cWHAT AN A**HOLE,\u201d one wrote, while another asked,<\/a> \u201cAt what point do the rich lose their sensibility and become narcissists?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Post has reached out to Zuckerberg\u2019s reps for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since moving to the Crescent Park neighborhood in 2011, the Meta CEO and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have spent more than $110 million buying at least 11 homes \u2014 many demolished or left empty \u2014 to build a sprawling estate with guest houses, gardens, sports courts, underground bunkers and even a private school for their children. Falon Wriede \/ NY Post Design<\/p>\n

Locals describe constant noise, blocked driveways, flattened tires, and heavy surveillance from security guards and cameras pointed at their properties. Splash News<\/p>\n

Neighbors allege that the city has facilitated the expansion, approving dozens of permits and even posting tow-away signs so guests could attend Zuckerberg\u2019s private events.<\/p>\n

\u201cBillionaires everywhere are used to just making their own rules \u2014 Zuckerberg and Chan are not unique, except that they\u2019re our neighbors,\u201d Kieschnick said. \u201cBut it\u2019s a mystery why the city has been so feckless.\u201d<\/p>\n

From construction debris flattening tires to workers parking in front of nearby homes, residents say the inconveniences have piled up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Years of hearings and objections slowed but never stopped the acquisitions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The properties for their part are set in picturesque settings. Splash News<\/p>\n

Despite past pushback from the city\u2019s Architectural Review Board, Zuckerberg has continued construction in phases to avoid scrutiny, leading to more than 56 building permits and nearly a decade of disruption. CBS<\/p>\n

A onetime city review board member, architect Peter Baltay, recalled his own run-in with Zuckerberg\u2019s security while attempting to review the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI said \u2018I\u2019m standing on the sidewalk looking at this project for review,\u2019\u201d Baltay told the Times. \u201cHe said, \u2018Well, we\u2019d appreciate it if you could move on.\u2019 I was pretty shocked by that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What began with a single 5,600-square-foot house in 2011 has become a sprawling estate brimming with amenities and surveillance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the center sits a statue of Chan, unveiled by Zuckerberg on social media last year \u2014 a symbol, perhaps, of permanence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"These headphones won\u2019t drown out the neighbors\u2019 frustration. Mark Zuckerberg may have thought he was turning down the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[2923,49,3335,48,361,1007,75,2096,58751,12680,2746,281,50318,41199,58752,968,53124,5886,5884],"class_list":["post-101837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-billionaires","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-canada","tag-celebrities","tag-construction","tag-entertainment","tag-facebook","tag-luxury-development","tag-luxury-real-estate","tag-mark-zuckerberg","tag-meta","tag-neighbors","tag-palo-alto","tag-priscilla-chan","tag-real-estate","tag-residential-real-estate","tag-san-francisco","tag-silicon-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}