Mark Zuckerberg celebrates 40th birthday on new superyacht?

Has Mark Zuckerberg purchased a new Feadship? It appears he has, according to online sleuths.

For years, the boating world has speculated that Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook and Meta, was purchasing a superyacht.

Rumours go as far back as 2018, when (unfounded) reports stated the billionaire had quietly bought a 350-foot exploration yacht for $150m.

But the rumours reached fever pitch earlier this year, with Zuckerberg suspected to be the new owner of Feadship’s Project 1010, now named Launchpad, as well as Wingman (ex-Dapple), a shadow vessel built by Damen Yachting (previously owned by Valve founder Gabe Newell).

Not much is known about the vessel, which has an estimated value of $300m. The yacht was said to have been built for a sanctioned Russian businessman before it was handed over to the Dutch government. Rumours heightened after numerous reports claimed Zuckerberg visited Feadship’s shipyard in the Netherlands in December.

The 118-metre Launchpad made its maiden voyage from Gibraltar to St Maarten in March.

Now, the questions over its ownership seem to be pointing in one direction, as it emerges that Launchpad and Wingman arrived in Panama on Monday (13 March 2024) — as did Zuckerberg’s private plane. A post on the CEO’s Instagram indicates he was on board the plane. Zuckerberg’s 40th birthday was Tuesday (14 March 2024), although it is unknown if he celebrated on board the new superyacht.

A handful of images of the yacht published online show it has a helipad and a swimming pool on its main deck. A yacht of its size would typically be able to host a large number of guests in five-star comfort.

Neither Zuckerberg nor Feadship has put out a statement to confirm ownership, with Feadship repeatedly reminding the media it never reveals the personal details of owners.

“It is Feadship’s standard policy to never divulge any information about our yachts with reference to ownership, costs, or delivery, etc,” Feadship wrote to Business Insider in March. “Whether it is an 18-metre Feadship from the 1960s or a 118-metre Feadship from the 21st century, we do not share private information.”

In 2021, Zuckerberg was worth circa $108 billion, an amount that rose to $138.4 billion by January 2024. The Sun calculates that the Facebook founder makes between $6 million and $12 million each day, equating to an estimated yearly earning of more than $3 billion. In 2018, Zuckerberg earned roughly $1.7 million an hour, according to previous Business Insider calculations. By 2020, he ranked as the fourth richest person on the planet.

In December 2021, Zuckerberg was said to be building an estimated $270 million, 57,000-square-foot Doomsday bunker. Plans included filling the football field-sized space with 30 bedrooms, elevators, a swimming pool, sauna, tennis court, and a full-sized gym.