Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, is facing scrutiny after reports emerged that his 387-foot superyacht, valued at approximately $300 million, declined to assist a stranded 21-foot skiff in southeast Alaska last week despite being closer than the vessel that ultimately rescued the crew.

The incident occurred between Petersburg and Juneau, where the skiff ran out of fuel. According to the Alaska Beacon, operators of a cruise ship further away than Zuckerberg’s yacht came to the rescue. A passenger aboard the UnCruise Adventures ship Wilderness Legacy posted on Bluesky, “Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht – which was closer – and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this).”

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were not on board the yacht, named Launchpad, at the time, a spokesperson told Forbes. Brian Baker, their spokesperson, explained that the yacht crew was operating on a different radio channel and that “the assist was already under way” by the time they reviewed the distress call.

The report has drawn criticism from local residents, with one Reddit user in Juneau calling the yacht an “excessive eyesore” and expressing frustration over its presence in Auke Bay.

This incident adds to ongoing public debate about Zuckerberg’s lifestyle and his role as a tech billionaire.

Sources