Anyone who sees the images thinks: James Bond has a new residence! But no, it’s Meta-billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s brand new superyacht. Made by a prestigious luxury boat builder in the Netherlands, it sold for around 280 million euros. Big, fast and prestigious: this is the new toy from ‘Mr. Facebook’.
The Launchpad, as the luxurious yacht goes through life, is, with a length of 118 meters, larger than an average football field. Two football teams and their staff can spend the night in 13 luxurious cabins, which are (of course) fully equipped. The elegant interior is according to the Italian medium Il Mattino designed by Zuretti, a leading company in the world of luxury marine interior design.
The yacht, which came onto the market in August 2022, has a sleek, multi-layer exterior with a robust dark blue hull and an aluminum superstructure. It is powered by four powerful engines, which should provide the captain with a top speed of 44 kilometers per hour. Inside, there is almost everything for a dream holiday: a cinema, a fitness club, a spa, a beauty salon, a beach club, an arcade, a helipad (why not). And to top it all off: a complete basketball court.
Total price tag: 300 million dollars, equivalent to almost 280 million euros. A huge amount, but with a fortune of around 163.4 billion, Zuckerberg – only 39 years old – can effortlessly shake this out of his pocket.
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‘We never do that’
The yacht, which employs almost 50 people, made its debut on the Atlantic Ocean at the beginning of this year. Worldwide, the colossus of around 5,000 tons is in the 45th place on the list of largest yachts in the world. The builder of the yacht is none other than Feadship from Hoofddorp in North Holland, one of the renowned boat builders from the Netherlands.
When asked, the company would not confirm that Zuckerberg is the new owner of one of its most prestigious toys. “We never do that, whether it is a small yacht of 20 meters or this one of 118 meters, we never share private information,” says a spokesperson, who only confirms that Feadship designed it.
Although the Launchpad is not the largest or most expensive yacht in the world, it does confirm the international reputation of the Netherlands as a superyacht builder, with a clear distinction in terms of innovation and sustainability. Measured by total worldwide turnover, the Netherlands had a 17 percent share of the superyacht market in 2015 with a turnover of around 660 million euros. Only the market share of Italy (37 percent) and Germany (19 percent) was larger at the time.
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Head over heels in search
In the meantime, Zuckerberg is completely silent about his new purchase, so there is no firm confirmation. However, eSysman SuperYachts – an authoritative platform in the field of superyachts, and well established in the world – is 100 percent certain: the creator of Facebook is absolutely the owner of the superyacht. According to the platform, the Launchpad was initially intended for a Russian owner, but it was placed on a sanctions list due to the invasion of Ukraine. As a result, the purchase was canceled and Feadship had to urgently look for a new buyer.
She quickly found that in Mark Zuckerberg. The billionaire came to Hoofddorp in person at the end of last year, various major media reported at the time, including the British tabloid TheSun. The Launchpad is now no longer for sale, it also reports Super Yacht Times, which monitors the management of all yachts. With the purchase, Zuckerberg joins the illustrious list of tech billionaires with superyachts. For example, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as well as Oracle founder Larry Ellison, have all bought a gigaboat.
“Hideout of climate hypocrisy”
The Launchpad is currently docked in the port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Zuckerberg has been seen there regularly in recent weeks, the Italian medium reports Il Mattino. Zuckerberg’s new toy is already the target of environmentalists on social media. ‘Mark Zuckerberg’s gigantic yacht. But they tell you that driving a petrol car is ruining the planet,” someone cynically wrote. “Is Zuckerberg’s yacht a luxurious paradise or the hideout of a climate hypocrite?” asks another.
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Tags: Mark Zuckerberg brand toy James Bond yacht Netherlands
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