All signs point to Mark Zuckerberg celebrating his 40th birthday on what many speculate is his brand-new superyacht Launchpad.
The boating world has been buzzing about Launchpad — a 118-meter yacht built by the Dutch shipyard Feadship — for months, with rumors swirling that her owner is none other than the Meta CEO. But in the yachting world, where privacy is paramount, no party would confirm her owner.
“It is Feadship’s standard policy to never divulge any information about our yachts with reference to ownership, costs, or delivery, etc,” Feadship, the ship’s builder, wrote to Business Insider in March. “Whether it is an 18-meter Feadship from the 1960s or a 118-meter Feadship from the 21st century, we do not share private information.”
Representatives for Zuckerberg did not respond to requests for comment from BI.
Now there’s even more evidence: The megayacht arrived in Panama on Monday, making her way there from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she’s predominantly been moored since she made her maiden voyage across the Atlantic in March, according to public ship-tracking data. Wingman, the support superyacht that he is suspected to have purchased with Launchpad, made the journey with her.
Zuckerberg’s plane also landed in Panama on Monday, per a private jet tracker, and if his Instagram is any indication, he was on board.
Putting two and two together — along with the many other clues linking Zuckerberg to the yacht — we can surmise that the Meta CEO is likely kicking off his new decade aboard his new toy.
Little is known about the luxury vessel, which was said to have been built for a sanctioned Russian businessman before it was handed over to the Dutch government, which served as a middleman for the purchase. Her final purchase price is unknown, but it’s safe to say a yacht of that size from that shipyard would cost nine figures upfront and six figures a year to maintain.
The few photos of Launchpad available on the industry site SuperYacht Times show there appears to be a helipad and a swimming pool on her main deck.
A vessel of her size can typically sleep dozens of guests and crewmembers and likely has an expansive gym (where Zuckerberg could practice his jiu-jitsu), a spa, a movie room, and a garage to fit plenty of toys like his viral hydrofoil.
Zuckerberg’s name was first connected to Launchpad in December when reports swirled that he visited Feadship’s shipyard in the Netherlands. In March, yachting bloggers like eSysman SuperYachts and Autoevolution suggested he officially snagged the boat. Launchpad also bears the flag of the Marshall Islands, a US territory that is commonplace for American buyers to register their ships.
We will never know for sure whose name is on her title, so unless Zuckerberg confirms he’s Launchpad’s owner, we will have to wait for an invitation to Zuck’s birthday party to confirm.
