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Steve Jobs: brilliant CEO, sharp presenter...not so snappy at real estate. The man who fought for (and lost) the right to a giant cube from a new Apple store has a more expensive battle: he wants to tear down his house.

Bloomberg picked up the five-year story of Jobs' fight to knock down his current mansion in Woodside, CA. All he wants is a 6,000-square-foot home for his five-person family.

Not too bad, especially compared to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's giant Japanese villa in the same town. (Ellison, says Bloomberg, had to reinforce his ponds to avoid flooding the town below.)

But the town acts like he wants to build a giant Borg cube designed by Jonathan Ive. They say the old house is too historical to tear down. They have Jobs trying to give the house to anyone who can move it and restore it — apparently it's historical enough to keep up, but not historical enough to leave in its historical location.

Feels less like an actual land dispute and more like "We just don't like you." You'd think Ellison was paying off the local government or something.

Apple's Jobs Fights Preservationists Who Want to Save His House [Bloomberg]
Photo: California Judge Rules Steve Jobs Can t Tear Down Historic Jackling House [Richard Silverstein]