NEWSMark Zuckerberg Under Fire After $300 Million Yacht Allegedly Passed Stranded Boat: ‘Good PR’
Mark Zuckerberg reportedly got under fire for not helping a stranded skiff with his $300 million yacht.
Aug. 10 2026, Updated 4:07 p.m. ET
Mark Zuckerberg's $300 million yacht, Launchpad, allegedly passed by a stranded boat without offering it help on Monday night.
"Frankly, if I was Mark Zuckerberg, I would be absolutely ecstatic at a chance to do something helpful for someone in need and maybe get some good PR out of it," Michael Love, a cruise ship passenger who helped respond to the stranded boat, wrote in a post on Bluesky, per Alaska Beacon.
Mark Zuckerberg's Launchpad Allegedly Refused Help to Stranded Skiff
Mark Zuckerberg's Launchpad got under fire after it allegedly passed by a stranded boat without offering it help.
According to the outlet, a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel in Southeast Alaska, prompting a small cruise ship to turn back and help. The captain said Zuckerberg’s yacht was closer but did not respond to the radio call.
"There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this," Love wrote.
Vessel-tracking services also confirm the claim, revealing that the 387-foot Launchpad slowed down to a halt outside Farragut Bay. Apparently, it stayed there as the UnCruise Adventures ship Wilderness Legacy sailed past to rescue the stranded boat.
U.S. Coast Guard Says No Distress Call Was Made
The cruise ship's crew reportedly booed at Mark Zuckerberg when his Launchpad refused to help the skiff.
Further reports from the outlet reveal that no distress call was made for the skiff, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Exchange of Alaska.
Per Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Shannon Shepard, they heard the call for help just after 9:30 p.m.
"At approximately 9:56 p.m., the Coast Guard determined they were not in distress and issued a marine assistance request broadcast on their behalf," she said.
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John Hollingsworth, chief operations officer of the Marine Exchange, released a statement in Mark Zuckerberg's favor.
John Hollingsworth, chief operations officer of the Marine Exchange, echoed the broadcast.
He admitted, "We did assist the Coast Guard with callouts on our radio and (were) able to hail the Wilderness Legacy, who ended up rendering assistance."
"From my experience, I know that situations like this contain myriad details for the vessels involved, so the AIS (tracking) snippet you obtained only reveals one of those details," Hollingsworth said in his statement, shared by email.
"I do know that Wilderness Legacy is an UnCruise vessel and is very familiar with Alaska waters, so that may have contributed to them rendering assistance quickly," he added.
Zuckerberg's Spokesperson Issued A Statement on the Matter
Mark Zuckerberg's spokesperson issued a statement revealing the billionaire and his family 'were not on board at the time of the incident.'
A spokesperson for Zuckerberg defended him over his alleged involvement in the incident.
"Mark and his family were not on board at the time of the incident," the statement read.
It continued, "As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe."
