Santa Barbara Ca Economy

The golden boy of this town's dot-com revolution is an unassuming, Levi's-wearing man who came up with a better way for computers and humans to talk to each other. John MacFarlane is worth about $400 million, though he says he hasn't checked lately and isn't sure of the exact figure. Whatever it is, it's enough to finally move out of the 900-square-foot house he and his wife have been sharing with their infant son and two dogs. MacFarlane, 34, can afford to live anywhere he wants.

The golden boy of this town's dot-com revolution is an unassuming, Levi's-wearing man who came up with a better way for computers and humans to talk to each other. John MacFarlane is worth about $400 million, though he says he hasn't checked lately and isn't sure of the exact figure. Whatever it is, it's enough to finally move out of the 900-square-foot house he and his wife have been sharing with their infant son and two dogs. MacFarlane, 34, can afford to live anywhere he wants.