CEO's House Burns Down After He Pled for Private Firefighters

"Feels surreal to be homeless after living in so much abundance and beauty."

Foundation Model

Kieth Wasserman, a wealthy Los Angeles-based real estate mogul and Elon Musk fanboy, became the target of widespread mockery after begging for "private firefighters" to come protect his home as the city was being ravaged by wildfires last week.

Netizens accused the real estate investment company cofounder and CEO of becoming the poster child of late-stage capitalism, pointing out he had previously called for cutting taxes — something that would put additional strain on publicly-funded firefighters.

Unfortunately for Wasserman, his pleas were to no avail. His home in the Palisades neighborhood burned down to the ground, according to online records examined by the New York Post.

"I feel like I lost a part of my soul losing our home that [my wife] spent so much time meticulously creating for our family," he wrote in a Facebook post. "I miss the Palisades so much. Feels surreal to be homeless after living in so much abundance and beauty."

Now, Wasserman is looking for housing.

"If you know of any available for rent in Santa Monica, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, or Cheviot Hills that is 4br+ please let us know as it is a feeding frenzy to try to find alternative housing," he wrote.

Feeding Frenzy

Of course, thousands of less privileged residents are in a far more dire situation, with experts predicting an even worse housing crisis in the area following the fires.

Worst of all, housing in the LA area was already notoriously expensive. Now that thousands of homes have been burned down, residents are worried about skyrocketing rents and home prices.

"Dozens and dozens of people are going after the same properties," Compass real estate agent David Berg told the LA Times. "Since Tuesday afternoon, our phones have rung hundreds of times."

Fortunately, California forbids landlords from raising rents by more than ten percent following an emergency like this month's fires.

But whether that actually stops profiteering remains to be seen, with many arguing that those rules aren't being effectively enforced.

"Some of the properties, they add up almost 50 percent to the rent," real estate agent Heidi Jensen told the LA Times. "I think it’s just so unethical and not nice to do this with people that are in need."

More on the incident: Cybertruck Owner Who Decried Taxes Mocked for Begging for Help as California Wildfire Threatens His Property