The man who helped change the way Americans buy and sell homes has a new home.
Seattle businessman Rich Barton, who founded the Zillow Group in Seattle 20 years ago and is now its chairman, announced to X that he is now an official Las Vegas resident: “The kids are introduced, the empty nest is achieved, and we are excited to start this next chapter.
The news marks the end of an era for one of Seattle’s most prosperous entrepreneurs.
In addition to Zillow, Barton founded Expedia Group in the Seattle area 30 years ago, when he was in his early 20s, spun it off from Microsoft and took it public in 1999.
GeekWire marked Expedia’s anniversary with a story back last month in which Barton reflected on the online travel company’s growth, noting that it is “very ambitious.” Expedia now has a market value of $27 billion, while Zillow is worth $8 billion.
Through a spokesperson, Barton declined to comment when contacted by GeekWire, so it’s unclear if there are other reasons behind his new residence.
Regardless, the loss of Barton’s status quo is a disaster for the local ecosystem. Barton, whose net worth has repeatedly flirted with the billion mark, has been one of the self-made “unicorn” creators supporting Washington state’s economy.
Some prominent businessmen have left Seattle in recent years, especially Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who announced in an Instagram message in November 2023 that he will move to Miami. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz also recently announced on LinkedIn the move to Miami, and last month he wrote a scathing op-ed in the Wall Street Journal saying Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is “insulting employers.”
All three planned their moves in personal terms — Barton cited an empty nest, Bezos pointed to the family’s growing presence in Florida’s Blue Origin, and Schultz explained retirement.
However, the move comes amid a heated debate over taxes in Washington state, where lawmakers have raised taxes on wealthy residents while some business leaders have warned the policies could drive entrepreneurs elsewhere.
Following the government’s switch to a graduated income tax — which now charges a 9.9% rate on earnings above $1 million — lawmakers approved a controversial “millionaire’s tax” that imposes a 9.9% income tax on top earners. The tax, which will take effect in January 2028, is being challenged in court.
Tensions have been high in tech circles recently after Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson dismissed warnings of a large plane while the public showed up, waving a real hand and saying “goodbye” to wealthy residents who threatened to leave.
“I think the claims that millionaires are going to leave our country are, like, overblown,” Mayor Wilson said in April, just three months after taking office. “And if – those who go, like, bye.”
The comments have drawn sharp criticism from several local entrepreneurs and capitalists who see it as a sign of growing political hostility toward employers and entrepreneurs.
