Topline
Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht did not intentionally ignore an assistance call from a nearby small boat that ran out of fuel close to Juneau, Alaska, last week, according to a spokesperson for the Facebook co-founder, who noted the billionaire was not onboard at the time of the incident.
Key Facts
Last Monday evening, the Wilderness Legacy, a cruise ship operated by UnCruise Adventures, responded to an assistance call to help a small skiff that ran out of fuel between Juneau and Petersburg, the Alaska Beacon first reported.
However, Zuckerberg’s superyacht, the nearly 400-foot Launchpad, was even closer to the stranded vessel, the outlet reported—garnering negative attention on social media.
The 21-foot skiff called the Coast Guard around 9:30 p.m., according to a statement from the Coast Guard to the Alaska Beacon, but by 9:56 p.m. the Coast Guard “determined they were not in distress and issued a marine assistance request broadcast on their behalf.”
The cruise ship then towed the skiff back to Farragut Bay, according to the statement (Forbes has reached out to the Coast Guard and the cruise operator for further comment on the incident).
The crew on Zuckerberg’s yacht was operating on a different radio channel from the one the assistance broadcast went out on, Brian Baker, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, told Forbes in a statement on Sunday, also noting “the assist was already underway” by the time they reviewed the broadcast.
Baker also confirmed that Zuckerberg, Chan and their family were not onboard their yacht when the incident was happening, adding “we’re grateful all parties are safe.”
SURPRISING FACT
A passenger on the cruise, software developer Michael Love, claimed the ship’s captain announced Zuckerberg’s yacht was closer and that led to a response of “near unanimous booing,” according to the Alaska Beacon, citing a Bluesky post.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Zuckerberg’s net worth at $203.3 billion, making him the sixth-wealthiest person in the world as of Sunday. His fortune is primarily derived from his roughly 13% stake in Meta, the company he co-founded that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. His yacht, the Launchpad, was delivered in 2024 and is worth an estimated $390 million. At almost 400 feet in length, the Launchpad is the largest yacht ever constructed by luxury superyacht builder Feadship, according to the company.