Zuckerberg faces backlash after superyacht reportedly ignored distress call in Alaska
A small cruise ship in south-east Alaska rescued a fuel-less skiff and its crew after Mark Zuckerberg's nearby 387ft superyacht repeatedly failed to respond to a Coast Guard radio call. Zuckerberg's spokesperson said he wasn't aboard and the crew had been on a different radio channel.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing scrutiny after reports that his 387ft superyacht, reportedly worth around $300m, repeatedly failed to respond to a distress call in Alaskan waters, despite being closer to the scene than the vessel that ultimately helped.
The incident occurred between Petersburg and Juneau, where a 21ft skiff had run out of fuel. The Coast Guard radioed Zuckerberg's yacht for assistance, but according to witnesses it repeatedly did not respond. Help eventually came from the Wilderness Legacy, a small cruise ship operated by UnCruise Adventures that was further from the scene.
A passenger aboard the Wilderness Legacy described the episode on Bluesky, saying the ship's captain informed passengers that Zuckerberg's yacht had declined to respond, a statement met with near-unanimous booing from those on board.
Brian Baker, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, told Forbes the couple were not aboard the yacht, named Launchpad, at the time. He said the crew had been monitoring a different radio channel than the Coast Guard, and that by the time they reviewed the broadcast, the rescue was already underway.
Wider criticism
The episode adds to existing public criticism of Zuckerberg over the societal impact of his social media platforms, his warming relationship with Donald Trump, and his lavish, insular lifestyle. A Juneau resident, writing on Reddit, complained about the yacht being moored in Auke Bay, calling it an unwelcome eyesore.
