Steve Witkoff Net Worth

What is Steve Witkoff’s Net Worth?

Steve Witkoff is a real estate investor and developer, lawyer, and diplomat who has a net worth of $2 billion. Steve Witkoff serves as the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East. Having started his career as a real estate attorney, he transitioned to property investment and founded the Witkoff Group, through which he owns the Woolworth Building, the Daily News Building, and the Park Lane Hotel, among other major properties. In early 2025, Witkoff participated in the negotiations that led to a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas.

Early Life and Education

Steve Witkoff was born on March 15, 1957 in the Bronx borough of New York City to Jewish parents Lois and Martin. He was raised on Long Island. For his higher education, Witkoff first went to Union College in Schenectady before transferring to Hofstra University in Hempstead. After earning his BA in political science in 1980, he obtained his JD from Hofstra in 1983.

Real Estate Career

Following his graduation from law school, Witkoff worked for the New York City real estate law firm Dreyer & Traub. After that, he did real estate law for the firm Rosenman & Colin. In 1985, Witkoff and fellow real estate attorney Larry Gluck founded Stellar Management to begin investing in and managing real estate. The pair bought up inexpensive apartment buildings in Manhattan and the Bronx, at one point owning around 85 buildings. In the 1990s, Stellar Management purchased 33 Maiden Lane and the Daily News Building. Witkoff left the company in 1997 to found his own real estate firm, the Witkoff Group, of which he became chairman and CEO. With his business partner Rubin Schron, he bought the historic Woolworth Building for $138 million in 1998.

By the end of 1998, the Witkoff Group was operating around 11 million square feet of commercial and retail real estate, and had ownership interest in over 7,000 apartments and various hotel and land developments. Witkoff continued purchasing landmark properties in the 21st century, including the Park Lane Hotel, for $660 million in 2013. That same year, he and the firm Fisher Brothers acquired a parcel of land in Tribeca for $223 million; on the land, they developed 111 Murray Street, a residential skyscraper that opened in 2018. Elsewhere, Witkoff has extensive business ties in the Middle East.

(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Political Career

In the spring of 2020, Witkoff was a member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, which were created to combat the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, in 2024, he was named the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East, despite his complete lack of diplomatic experience. Early the next year, Witkoff participated in the negotiations that led to a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas. Along with lead negotiator Brett McGurk and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, he helped facilitate a six-week ceasefire agreement and the exchange of 33 hostages held by Hamas for around 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. However, in March, fighting in Gaza resumed.

In other diplomatic activities, Witkoff serves as Donald Trump’s envoy to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He met with Putin in early 2025 and helped facilitate the prisoner swap and release of American Marc Fogel. Witkoff claimed that he built a “friendship and relationship” with the dictator during his trip. He called Putin a “great guy” and made statements supporting Russia, spurring backlash from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as numerous Democratic politicians in the United States.

Personal Life

In 1987, Witkoff married lawyer Lauren Rappoport. They have two sons named Zach and Alexander, and had a third son named Andrew who died from an OxyContin overdose at the age of 22 in 2011. Witkoff resides in Miami Beach, Florida.