As first reported in the Wall Street Journal, WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, 44, recently paid $87 million to purchase his second Paradise Cove property, right next door to his first property. The first property was bought in August 2019 for exactly $100 million—Ron Meyer’s longtime Malibu home.
Koum’s newest purchase was previously owned by Bosnia-born socialite Diana Jenkins, according to Variety. The $87 million deal was said to be “the biggest SoCal residential transaction to close so far this year.” Jenkins originally paid $21 million for the property 16 years ago.
The Jenkins property consists of two separate homes sitting on top of the bluffs at Paradise Cove, stretching from PCH to the sand, and gated, with large trees. There is a main house; a multi-story guesthouse; a guardhouse; a total of seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms; a pool; a funicular ride to the sand; and a large cabana.
The combination of the two properties now gives Koum a total of six acres.
Variety reported that Koum and Jenkins had their differences as neighbors. Last year, Koum sued Jenkins for pruning hedges on his property without permission. The WhatsApp founder also allegedly accused her of “Karen-like behavior” toward his Black security guard.
According to Forbes, Koum is worth $10 billion. His other real estate holdings include the $125 million former compound of Jeffrey Katzenberg in Beverly Hills and his $100 million main estate in Atherton, Calif.