Zuckerberg Buys $300 Million Russian Superyacht

Owning a superyacht is a rite of passage for tech billionaires. Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon.com Inc. Founder Jeff Bezos, two of the wealthiest people on the planet, have each made headlines with their extravagant yacht purchases. Zuckerberg recently acquired two luxury vessels totaling $330 million, including a yacht and a support yacht.

While $330 million is a lot of money, it's not going to put a significant dent in Zuckerberg's net worth. According to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List from March 7, Zuckerberg is worth $179.5 billion. A $330 million expenditure comes out to 0.18% of that. That's the equivalent of someone with a $1 million net worth spending $1,800 on a canoe.

Zuckerberg’s flagship purchase is the Launchpad, a 387-foot beauty that boasts a helipad, dive center and decompression chamber — perfect for Zuckerberg’s adventurous spirit. Additional features include a massive observation lounge, a pool and a bar area. Industry publication Luxury Launches notes it will likely cost Zuckerberg at least $30 million per year to operate Launchpad.

Accommodating 24 guests and a crew of 48, Launchpad offers luxury and comfort on a grand scale. Zuckerberg’s second purchase, the support vessel Wingman, provides additional space and amenities, including a helideck and a dive center. Wingman includes space for a variety of toys, such as a submersible, various rescue tenders, diving gear, Vespa scooters and a host of other vehicles and equipment.

Originally commissioned by Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin, the ship remained in its Dutch shipyard for some time before the Dutch authorities allowed its sale to a non-Russian — Zuckerberg.

In terms of size and expense, Bezos’s superyacht and his support vessel dwarfs Zuckerberg’s. Bezos owns Koru, the world's largest sailing yacht, which reportedly cost at least $500 million. His support ship Abeona is a 246-foot motor yacht that carries crew and an array of vehicles and supplies. 

Bezos took steps in late 2023 to hide his yacht's location from the public, turning off Koru's automatic identification system (AIS), a data tracker that transmits a ship's course and other information to improve safety and communication with nearby ships.