Khaberni - Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, was forced to close an unlicensed private school that had been secretly operating within his residential complex in Palo Alto, California for four years.
The school, named "Bicken Ben School" after one of the family’s chickens, served between 30 and 40 children using the Montessori system, which focuses on child development through self-learning, scientific discovery, and direct experience, rather than solely relying on traditional teaching methods.
Despite its secrecy, the project garnered many complaints, investigations, and late-night emails from disgruntled neighbors who were frustrated by Silicon Valley's most powerful figure flouting zoning rules, according to a report by "Mashable" specializing in technology news, reviewed by "Al Arabiya Business".
What began as an informal playgroup quickly transformed into a fully operational school without permits. By 2022, quiet concern had turned into organized dissatisfaction, with residents accusing the city of granting Zuckerberg preferential treatment and overlooking zoning violations.
The tensions were already high due to years of construction, heavy security presence, and noise around Zuckerberg's expanding complex, which spans 11 properties.
City inspectors reported being monitored by private guards, which increased neighbors’ resentment. Rising complaints about the unlicensed school in 2024 led residents to demand that officials take action against it.
Attempts to resolve the issue backfired. The Planning Director of Palo Alto suggested a carefully considered temporary solution, angering residents who argued that ordinary homeowners would not receive such leniency.
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg's legal team attempted to justify the classrooms as "appropriate residential use" and even considered converting the school into a licensed childcare center to bypass local rules, but these efforts faltered.
By early 2025, city officials set a final deadline for closure, warning that the school must shut down by June 30 or face legal consequences.
The school was officially closed in August 2025, although a spokesperson for "Meta" claimed it had merely been "relocated", leaving the neighbors skeptical and still distrustful of the city and the family.
This incident is a rare example of Silicon Valley fortunes colliding with strict local laws and regulations. For the residents of Crescent Park, the closure of the school represents a long-awaited victory after years of nuisance and double standards.
