It’s good to be Kelly Steckelberg. Though she grew up in a small-town Texas — her high school graduating class had all of 15 students — the high-profile Silicon Valley player skillfully climbed the corporate ranks, rising from a financial controller role at WebEx to a brief stint as CEO of dating app Zoosk. Since 2017, she’s been CFO at Zoom, a hectic and demanding job that involves overseeing everything from the $55 billion company’s investor relations and financial planning to its corporate development and real estate portfolio.
Still, Steckelberg calls her Zoom gig the “best job in the world,” and it’s certainly also been very rewarding for her pocketbook. According to Forbes, she’s now one of America’s richest self-made women, boasting an estimated net worth of $415 million.
Zoom benefited greatly from 2020’s widespread work-from-home orders, with the company’s stock soaring to unprecedented heights — at one point, the share price reached more than 500% above its pre-pandemic high. And even Steckelberg herself admits taking advantage of the opportunity to work remotely, relocating from California’s Bay Area to Los Angeles, where she moved in with her sister and brother-in-law. Records reveal she’s since taken a shine to Malibu, where the 52-year-old recently dropped $12.5 million on a Broad Beach lot.
The oceanfront property currently contains a shabby midcentury beach cottage, originally built circa 1955, but the sellers made no secret that the neglected structure is a teardown. “Ready to build!” rejoices the listing. Included with the sale were the property’s most valuable amenities (besides the land itself, of course): approved plans and permits for an all-new, elevator-equipped contemporary home with six bedrooms and six bathrooms in 5,500 square feet of living space. We’ll have to wait and see if that is indeed what Steckelberg decides to build.
Spanning more than a third of an acre, the narrow and deep lot sits on the “deepest, sandiest” section of Broad Beach, per the listing. Views sweep up and down Malibu’s long coastline, from Ventura County to Point Dume. Last sold back in July for $11.5 million to apparel entrepreneur Jeff Marine, the property was a quick four-month flip, though Marine likely spent big bucks on permitting and plans.
Because of its pricey homes and proximity to Hollywood, Broad Beach has long attracted celebrity buyers. Current homeowners include Pierce Brosnan, Dustin Hoffman, Ray Romano, “Friends” creator Marta Kauffman and Seth MacFarlane.
As for Steckelberg, she’s already a Malibu resident. In addition to her Broad Beach teardown, records indicate and she and/or her immediate family members also recently purchased two other pricey properties — a $15.5 million house on Malibu’s even more exclusive Broad Beach, plus an $11 million oceanfront home along prestigious Malibu Road.
Elizabeth Seaman and Paul Woodman at Pinnacle Estate Properties handled both sides of the transaction.