Los Angeles Fire Line, Anxious Crypto Tycoons, and Endangered Mansions

This may be the most severe fire in California history.

The city most affected by the fire is Pacific Palisades, where 75% of the houses have been completely destroyed; a new round of seasonal strong winds is pushing the wildfire eastward; aside from Palisades, Los Angeles currently has two other wildfire areas, with surrounding residents facing a severe test.

In the face of this natural fury, even some of Los Angeles' wealthiest communities have not been spared. The mansions that once symbolized the wealth and success of European and American celebrities and crypto giants are now on the front lines of the disaster.

In addition to these European and American celebrities, some crypto giants and newly minted millionaires also reside on the infamous streets of Los Angeles known for wildfires. They were once known for and showcased their business success through their mansions, but are now directly threatened by the merciless natural disaster.

Moonbirds Founder: Residence Completely Destroyed

“Sadly, lost everything in the #PacificPalisades fire. Nothing left here.” Moonbirds founder Kevin Rose shared a video of his burnt-down house and community scene, with a caption beside the video.

As shown in his video, Rose's residence in Los Angeles was completely destroyed in the California wildfire.

Rose began his career by founding the website Digg, later becoming a venture capitalist and one of the earliest investors in Twitter and Square. Then, due to his early involvement in the NFT boom of 2021, he created the Moonbirds project, which quickly gained fame.

Last year, Rose sold Moonbirds to Yuga Labs. As part of the deal, Rose became an advisor to Yuga Labs during a “brief transition period.” Shortly after the project's launch, through a series of NFT sales events, it quickly attracted over $500 million in sales and secured a $50 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z).

Rose's reputation peaked with the success of the Moonbirds project. It was also during this time that Rose purchased a new home worth $16.5 million in the Brentwood community of Los Angeles. This celebrity-packed mansion area is known for its luxurious properties, and the house Rose purchased is a modern design with over 7,600 square feet of space, mostly made of glass walls, offering panoramic views of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, this beautiful residence was ultimately completely destroyed in this fire.

What many people don't know is that in a past podcast episode, he also revealed the tremendous pressure he faced from his involvement in an NFT project. He candidly discussed experiencing health issues such as anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, and brain aneurysm due to the explosive growth in NFT transaction volume. He even tried ketamine therapy, which ultimately brought him a sense of relaxation he hadn't felt since his teens.

Seemingly due to his past therapeutic experiences, in this current crisis, Rose also shared some philosophical views on embracing uncertainty on social media, hoping to find mental freedom and tranquility through this approach. "When we understand the truth of uncertainty, we become free."

Big Brother Ma: 16 Kilometers from the Fire Zone

Speaking of Chinese-speaking NFT celebrities, Big Brother Ma's name is widely known.

In June 2023, Taiwanese artist and NFT tycoon Huang Licheng (Big Brother Ma) purchased a mansion in the prestigious Bird Streets community in Los Angeles for $25 million. This luxurious estate spans 14,000 square feet, featuring amenities such as a wine cellar, a marble bar, and a large gym, with 5 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms.

It is understood that this Bird Streets mansion was originally listed for $34 million and was just completed in early 2022. However, as shown in photos, Big Brother Ma acquired it a year later at a price approximately 75% below the asking price. He now has neighbors such as Hon Hai Group founder Terry Gou, the Winklevoss brothers, and LVMH Group CEO Bernard Arnault.

From the pictures, the entire house is dominated by beige and brown tones. The interior space of the mansion is quite spacious with an open design, and floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the entire Hollywood Hills, creating a very cozy atmosphere.

Although Big Brother Ma owns numerous mansions, during today's wildfire season, this Bird Streets mansion, located only 16 kilometers from the Pacific Palisades fire area, may be one of the most nerve-wracking properties for Big Brother Ma.

Ankr Founder: 14 KM from Wildfire

Just a street away from the Bird Streets mansion community, the buddy brother has a crypto neighbor, Ankr's founder Ryan Fang.

On November 22, 2021, the 27-year-old cryptocurrency entrepreneur purchased a mansion in the wealthy area of Los Angeles for $12 million. The house is situated near the hills of Doheny Estates, adjacent to the famous Bird Streets area. The house, completed in early 2019, was initially listed for nearly $17 million but after being on the market for over two years, undergoing multiple price adjustments, it was finally sold to Ryan Fang.

According to Dirt, the villa, designed by XTEN Architecture, spans 7,500 square feet, luxuriously furnished with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. The design of the house emphasizes modernity, with large glass windows ensuring ample natural light and providing spectacular city views. Its architectural style complements the surrounding Hollywood Hills mansions, with amenities including a spacious living area, a dining area with a marble bar, a fully equipped kitchen, a private theater, and an underground garage with epoxy resin flooring spacious enough to accommodate multiple vehicles.

Ryan Fang's personal achievements are equally remarkable. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he was a software engineer at Amazon before founding Ankr's coin and co-founding the NFT auction platform Bounce. In 2019, he was named to Forbes' "30 Under 30" list, establishing his influence in the global tech and cryptocurrency space.

This luxury mansion is approximately 14.5 kilometers from the wildfire area in Pacific Palisades. As of Saturday noon, firefighters have contained 11% of the fire, meaning the Ankr founder's mansion remains safe.

Coinbase CEO: 25 KM from Wildfire

A few months ago, Coinbase's CEO Brian Armstrong hosted a grand wedding on the lawn of his Los Angeles mansion, a $133 million luxury home located in the city currently affected by wildfires. Fortunately, this luxurious mansion was not impacted by the wildfire.

This mansion, located at 10671 Chalon Road, Los Angeles, CA 90077, not only sits on nearly five acres of land but also includes a 19,000-square-foot main house and a 6,600-square-foot guesthouse, featuring at least 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. The estate boasts a full range of amenities, including a tennis court, two swimming pools, a car court, a home theater, as well as a spa and gym.

The design of this villa was led by the renowned British architect John Pawson, known for his iconic minimalist aesthetic. The villa's design adopts a "stacked cube" structure, with large glass walls and sleek interior finishes complemented by spacious oak furnishings, creating a modern and inviting living environment.

The villa originally belonged to Hideki Tomita, the founder of the Japanese job-matching firm Dip Corporation, who acquired this property for $85 million in 2018 and later sold it to Armstrong for $133 million. This transaction was considered one of the most expensive single-family residential sales in Los Angeles history.

This luxury estate is situated approximately 25.35 kilometers in a straight line from the Pacific Palisades fire district and typically translates to about a 22-minute drive under normal traffic conditions. With expansive views from the mansion, looking out through the vast glass walls at the spectacular wildfire to the west, Brian Armstrong may have felt a tinge of anxiety. Fortunately, Brian Armstrong and his family are currently safe and sound.

Kraken Former CEO: Mansion in Jeopardy

The former CEO of Kraken may be one of the most anxious figures in the crypto circle. In the prestigious Brentwood community of Los Angeles, Jesse Powell's luxurious residence is in close proximity to Pacific Palisades.

While the co-founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has stepped down as CEO, his life is anything but quiet. In March 2023, his residence was searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of an investigation into his alleged involvement in hacking and network monitoring of a nonprofit arts group.

Meanwhile, this mansion, which was once searched by the FBI, is now under a serious threat from wildfires, as it is located in close proximity to a wildfire-prone area. According to reports, Powell's residence is only a few miles away from the Pacific Palisades fire area, and the neighborhood is currently under evacuation orders.

This proximity is enough to make any resident anxious, especially during wildfire season. The continuous coverage of fires and tense evacuation alerts may be causing unprecedented stress for this prominent figure in the tech and cryptocurrency industry.

Jesse Powell also appears to be one of the most concerned individuals in the crypto community about the wildfires. Looking at his recent tweets, most of them criticize the government's poor handling of the fires and express concern for the affected residents, showing his attention and anxiety towards the current situation. Therefore, we speculate that in the years following the FBI search, Jesse Powell seems to have not sold this Los Angeles property and that the property is currently in danger.

PayPal Founder: 16 km from Fire Area

As a prominent venture capitalist and co-founder of PayPal, as well as the "PayPal Mafia" member who pushed Elon Musk out of PayPal, Peter Thiel holds a high position in Silicon Valley.

However, over the past few years, Peter Thiel has publicly supported Trump in his political stance, distancing himself from Silicon Valley and actively praising the disruptive potential of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology at public forums, supporting them as alternatives to traditional financial and government structures. Peter Thiel's investments in Bitcoin and blockchain technology have been increasing, and his venture capital firm, Founders Fund, was one of the earliest mainstream institutions to recognize and invest in Bitcoin, steadily growing in influence in the cryptocurrency field.

In 2018, to distance himself from the left-leaning environment, Peter Thiel moved his home and investment firm to Los Angeles. His residence in Los Angeles is a luxury mansion located in the Hollywood area, which Peter Thiel purchased in 2011 for $11.5 million.

The estate is located above Sunset Boulevard and is equipped with various modern amenities, including a large master suite, dining room, family room, gourmet kitchen, and pool facilities, with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and indoor-outdoor living spaces with a Hawaiian island vibe. The 5,870 square foot property includes a pool and two driveways leading to different streets, making it a rare gem in the area.

The mansion's location puts it only 16 kilometers away from the nearest wildfire area, Palisades, posing a potential risk to residential safety.

Others

As wildfires rapidly spread across California, not only threatening the lives of millions of residents but also severely impacting many companies and individuals in the cryptocurrency industry. In this disaster, many members of the crypto community not only lost their homes but also some irreplaceable assets such as hardware wallets.

The staff at the Santa Monica Bitcoin Office in Los Angeles, as well as Swan Bitcoin, a company that previously hosted the Pacific Bitcoin conference in Santa Monica, are located directly south of the Palisades and Sunset Fire area, facing the threat of the wildfires. Additionally, the headquarters of blockchain service provider BlockDaemon and crypto game developer SuperVerse are also in Los Angeles, while blockchain-based identity verification and tokenization company SpringLabs is located in nearby Marina del Ray.