Board Chair John M. Sobrato: Higher Ed Trends, Real Estate, and Philanthropy

John Michael Sobrato is Chair of the Board of Trustees at Santa
Clara and Chairman of The Sobrato Organization. There are a few
different parts of the Sobrato organization that we cover in this
conversation.


First is the real estate business, which has developed over 21
million square feet of office, R&D and multifamily complexes
since the 1960s. A few of the company’s notable office buildings
include the former Apple Campus, the Service Now HQ, and offices
for Amazon, Google, Netflix, Facebook, Pinterest, NVidia and
more.


This enormous success has fueled the philanthropy arm of the
business, Sobrato Philanthropies, which has deployed more than
$552 million giving to education, career pathways, and essential
human services, primarily in Silicon Valley. Every year since
2013, the Sobrato Family has been named the number one or two
most generous corporation in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley
Business Journal ahead major high-tech companies. Additionally,
both John A. and John M. Sobrato and their spouses have taken the
Giving Pledge and stated that 100% of their wealth will go to the
family foundation.


The third area of the business is Sobrato Capital, an investment
arm which manages money in both public and private companies.


In this conversation, we touch on the evolving business model of
Santa Clara, the ethics of profit maximization, lessons from the
Sobrato family business, social impact, working through
challenges on the Santa Clara Board of Trustees, the role of
philanthropy versus government, and what John is most proud of in
his career.  


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