Mark Zuckerberg's $300m yacht booed over rescue call; clarification issued

Mark Zuckerberg’s $390 million, 387-foot yacht Launchpad was recently booed over a reported failure to respond to a stranded boat. A Meta spokesperson has now clarified that the vessel's crew was on a different radio channel and that help was already on the way. The incident happened last Monday, August 3 evening in Alaska after a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel between Juneau and Petersburg. While social media users criticised Mark Zuckerberg's superyacht, the company said neither Zuckerberg nor his family were on board at the time.Mark Zuckerberg's Yacht booed According to the Alaska Beacon, the stranded skiff contacted the US Coast Guard at around 9:30 pm. After assessing the situation, the Coast Guard determined that the boat was not in distress and at 9:56 pm issued a marine assistance request asking nearby vessels to help. The Wilderness Legacy, a cruise ship operated by UnCruise Adventures, responded to the request and towed the skiff safely back to Farragut Bay.The report said Zuckerberg's Launchpad superyacht was closer to the small boat than the cruise ship, leading to criticism online.Why Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht did not respondBrian Baker, a spokesperson for Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, told Forbes that the crew aboard Launchpad was operating on a different radio channel from the one used for the Coast Guard's assistance broadcast. Baker also said "the assist was already underway" by the time the crew reviewed the broadcast.He further added that Zuckerberg, Chan and their family were not on board the yacht during the incident and said, "we're grateful all parties are safe."The incident gained attention after software developer Michael Love, who was travelling on the Wilderness Legacy, said the ship's captain told passengers that Zuckerberg's yacht was closer to the stranded boat.According to the Alaska Beacon, Love wrote on Bluesky that the announcement was met with "near unanimous booing" from passengers.Mark Zuckerberg's Launchpad yacht is worth $390 million Launchpad is one of the world's largest private superyachts. The vessel was delivered in 2024 by Dutch shipbuilder Feadship and is about 387 feet (118 metres) long. The yacht is estimated to be worth around $390 million, according to Forbes, and is considered the largest yacht ever built by Feadship.Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.