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The largest yachts owned by tech billionaires, from Mark Zuckerberg to Jeff Bezos

businessinsider.in 2024/5/18
The largest yachts owned by tech billionaires, from Mark Zuckerberg to Jeff Bezos
Mark Zuckerberg recently purchased a 118-meter megayacht, a status symbol among tech billionaires.Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images; Ruben Griffeon/SuperYacht Times Megayachts have become a status symbol for the richest of the rich. In recent years, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have splurged on enormous boats. The average Joe celebrating a personal renaissance after, say, the end of a long-term relationship or when approaching a fresh decade might commemorate it with an ankle tattoo or a sports car. But if you're a billionaire, you may instead spend hundreds of millions on a yacht. A few years after he and his wife divorced, Jeff Bezos shelled out on a megayacht. Last year, Bezos debuted the 127-meter vessel "Koru," a Māori symbol that signifies a fresh start — perhaps referring to that with his fiancée Lauren Sanchez. Earlier this year, just before his 40th birthday, Mark Zuckerberg became the rumored owner of a yacht originally built for a Russian oligarch. Superyachts have increasingly become ultrawealthy status symbols, providing highly secluded leisure and networking sites. They are — even more so than real estate — the single most expensive asset you can own. "It's a bit of a celebration of your success in life, of wealth," Giovanna Vitelli, the vice president of the Azimut Benetti Group, the world's biggest producer of superyachts, told Business Insider. While many tech billionaires have bought yachts, the richest of the rich, like Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, have gone bigger. Their boats are virtual palaces at sea, decked with amenities like gyms, spas, pools, nightclubs, and movie theaters. A look at these megayachts — broadly defined as over 70 meters long, mostly custom-built, and often costing nine figures — offers a glimpse into how the .00001% lives. It's something few others will ever get to experience. Even chartering a yacht of this size for a week typically costs upwards of $1 million. One major thing that hundreds of millions of dollars can buy is privacy. There are likely yachts that have not been publicly recorded or registered — for example, Evan Spiegel is rumored to own the 94-meter megayacht Bliss. In an industry ruled by discretion, deciphering who owns what is typically an exercise in stringing together many clues. Here are the largest yachts owned by tech billionaires, listed in order of length.

Jeff Bezos: Koru and Abeona

Jeff Bezos: Koru and Abeona
Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez spent last summer on Koru, seen on the left, with its support vessel, Abeona, seen right.Robino Salvatore/GC Images Amazon founder Bezos' $500 million megayacht, the 127-meter Koru, made a splash last year as it crisscrossed the Mediterranean in its first summer at sea, with its 75-meter support vessel Abeona in tow. The sailing yacht, which is hard to miss thanks to its massive size and unique design, was host to Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez's famous friends. The couple held an engagement party on board, which reportedly drew guests including Bill Gates, Ari Emanuel, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Just a week later, they were seen on the streets of Dubrovnik, Croatia, with Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, and Usher. Even before its completion, Koru made headlines. It drew the ire of some Dutch people, who vowed to hurl eggs after it was announced a historic bridge in Rotterdam might be taken apart to allow the Oceanco boat through. Luckily, the shipyard made alternative plans, and an egg crisis was averted. Among yacht world insiders, Koru is widely praised for its craftsmanship. "I heard back in 2018 or something that somebody had ordered a classic sailing yacht," one superyacht expert told BI. "You order 125 meters, that's not really going to be classic. But it is. I think it's pretty cool."

Mark Zuckerberg: Launchpad

Mark Zuckerberg: Launchpad
Aerial shots of the yacht seem to show a pool on its main deck and a helipad.Ruben Griffioen/SuperYachtTimes Earlier this year, the yacht world was rife with rumors that Zuckerberg purchased Launchpad, a 118-meter superyacht originally designed for a sanctioned Russian businessman. The ship made her maiden voyage in March, going from Gibraltar to St. Maarten and mooring in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Little is known about her interior, but photos show a large swimming pool and helipad. Her price, too, has been kept under wraps but is said to be nine figures.

Eric Schmidt: Whisper

Barry Diller: Eos

Jim Clark: Athena

Larry Ellison: Musashi

Laurene Powell Jobs: Venus

Charles Simonyi: Norn

Sergey Brin: Dragonfly

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