This real estate CEO is going to war with Zillow. He could reshape how you buy your next home.

"It's almost 9 p.m. on a Wednesday in November, and Robert Reffkin is working the phones. The 46-year-old CEO of Compass, the country's largest real estate brokerage, spent the previous morning in a Manhattan courtroom, serving as a key witness in his firm's fierce legal battle with the home-search giant Zillow. It's been a busy fall: In late September, Compass revealed its plans to acquire Anywhere Real Estate, the second-largest brokerage, for $1.6 billion;"

"He leaves a brief voicemail for Evan Duby, congratulating him on reaching a decade at the brokerage. Never mind that Duby, by his own admission, is "hardly even selling anymore." Reffkin is well-known for ringing his agents out of the blue - his staff estimates that he makes thousands of these calls every year. He plants himself by the door at company parties to shake the hand of every attendee, and welcomes agents to Shabbat dinners at his home in New York."

"Unlike most brokerage execs, Reffkin did not rise through the real estate ranks. A half-Black, self-described C-student raised by a single mother in the Bay Area, he charged through a series of prestigious postgrad stints - McKinsey, Lazard, a White House fellowship during the Bush administration, Goldman Sachs - before cofounding Compass in 2012 at 33. His original plan was to cut out the pricey brokers"

Robert Reffkin heads Compass as an engaged CEO who personally connects with agents through thousands of calls, voicemails, in-person greetings, and social events. He combines daily agent outreach with strategic and legal responsibilities, including testifying in a lawsuit against Zillow and pursuing a $1.6 billion acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate. The proposed merger would position the combined firm to represent nearly a quarter of U.S. home sales. Reffkin transitioned from roles at McKinsey, Lazard, a White House fellowship, and Goldman Sachs to cofound Compass in 2012 at age 33. He is half-Black and was raised by a single mother in the Bay Area.

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