Mark Zuckerberg has faced questions about why his 387ft superyacht, reportedly worth about $300m, did not respond to a call for help from another boat in south-east Alaska. The incident, reported last week, involved a 21ft skiff that ran out of fuel between Petersburg and Juneau. According to the Alaska Beacon, the crew of a nearby cruise ship that was further away than Zuckerberg’s yacht went to the rescue after receiving the request. Meta Platforms chief executive officer Zuckerberg, who also leads Facebook and Instagram, was not on board his yacht at the time, his representative said. Skiff rescue after fuel ran outA passenger on the UnCruise Adventures ship Wilderness Legacy said the vessel rescued a stranded boat during the night. The passenger posted the account on Bluesky, saying the cruise ship responded after communications were raised with the yacht that was closer. The passenger wrote that the rescue took place after the Coast Guard radioed Zuckerberg’s yacht and that the yacht “repeatedly refused to respond”. They also said there was “near unanimous booing” when the ship’s captain discussed the situation with other passengers. The post described the yacht as having been in the area of Auke Bay for an extended period, though the comments were part of wider reactions to the story. Picture courtesy of The Guardian Questions over reported lack of helpZuckerberg’s yacht has come under scrutiny following the report that it did not assist the stranded skiff when nearby vessels called for support. The account alleges the yacht was approached for help multiple times. It also suggests the rescue operation did not involve the yacht, despite being closer to the incident than the cruise ship that responded. Zuckerberg spokesperson: crew on different radio channelBrian Baker, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, told Forbes that Zuckerberg was not on board the yacht, named Launchpad, at the time. Baker said the crew had been using a different radio channel and only reviewed the broadcast after the situation had progressed. He added that “the assist was already under way” by the time they reviewed the communication. The spokesperson’s account did not dispute the underlying rescue, but it did challenge the claim that the yacht’s crew declined to help in the moment. Wider criticism and online reactionEven without Zuckerberg being present on his yacht, the report is unlikely to remove criticism that has previously been directed at him and his companies, the original article said. Zuckerberg has faced longstanding criticism over the societal impact of social media platforms operated by Meta. He has also been the subject of renewed attention linked to his relationship with Donald Trump, according to reporting cited in the source, and to criticism of his lifestyle. Online responses to the Alaska rescue story included strong condemnation from some users. One Reddit comment, posted in response to the rescue report, expressed anger at Zuckerberg and described the yacht as an “eyesore” in Auke Bay. The episode has reignited questions about how responsibility is handled during emergencies at sea, though details of the radio communications remain a point of contention between the reports and the spokesperson’s explanation. Join the discussion? 10 August 2026
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