Siri Co-Creator Sells Downtown Chicago Condo for $3.2 Million

Siri co-creator Dag Kittlaus took a loss on the sale of his downtown Chicago penthouse after 14 months searching for a buyer.

The 81st floor penthouse at the iconic Aqua Tower sold Tuesday for nearly $3.2 million. The Jeanne Gang-designed tower features wavy concrete balconies that give the appearance of rippling water across the tower’s surface.

Kittlaus was a co-founder of Siri, which Apple bought in 2010, as well as AI assistant company VIv Labs, which Samsung bought in 2016. He was the vice president of Samsung Mobile from 2016 to 2019, and is currently the CEO of Riva Health, a digital platform for cardiovascular health care that he co-founded.

Kittlaus bought the condo, with a balcony that features a wide open view of Lake Michigan, in 2018 for $3.8 million. It went on the market in June 2024 for $5.3 million. The unit underwent several price cuts, dropping to $4.9 million, then $4.4 million, before settling at $3.25 million in September.

The 3,000 square-foot penthouse has four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The price worked out to $1,058 per-square-foot, which is comparable to recent similarly priced sales in newer buildings like the St. Regis Tower.

At least 14 other units in the condo have sold this year, according to public listing services, at prices ranging from $300,000 to $1.3 million. A two-story penthouse on the 80th and 81st floors has been for sale sporadically since 2015, with prices ranging from $4.3 million to $5 million. It has not been on the market since October 2023 but there is no record of it selling.

@properties’ Carrie McCormick, the unit’s listing agent, said its pricing in the downtown market made it an attractive opportunity, along with the rare highrise view of the lake.

Downtown Chicago’s condo market has been struggling to come back since values plunged in the last few years as wealthy buyers went to the suburbs and fears about crime kept buyers out of the market.

Michelle Welch, a Compass broker who represented the buyer, said the price was a big selling point for her client, who she declined to identify. The client was specifically looking for a unit with a great view, she said.

Property records show Kittlaus bought a condo at the St. Regis Tower at 363 East Wacker Drive in December 2024 for $3.8 million. He sold it to Michigan-based MJCRE LLC for $3.7 million in early October.

The sale reflects the new reality of the luxury downtown market in Chicago: Units will sell if they’re priced to match the market, but if sellers are hoping for prices from 2021 or 2022, they’ll have a hard time finding buyers. Welch said the penthouse at $5 million was out of her buyer’s price range, but the lower price made it feasible to find a deal.

McCormick said buyers are starting to show interest in downtown and finding value in the discount prices for luxury condos.

“Buyers are coming back to our market because the value is there,” McCormick said. “People recognize that. They’re concentrating on key locations.”