Mark Zuckerberg is facing a wave of criticism after his superyacht reportedly refused to help a stranded motorboat off Alaska, even though it was the closest vessel. The boat was eventually rescued by another ship, but the billionaire’s reputation took a hit.
According to The Guardian, the incident happened last week in southeastern Alaska. A motorboat ran out of fuel and began drifting near Juneau, the capital of the state. The Coast Guard was notified around 21:30 and determined that the crew were not in danger, but still issued a radio call for help on their behalf.
The yacht named Silicon Valley, estimated to be worth around $300 million, was reportedly closest to the stricken craft. Its crew allegedly refused to respond numerous times. A cruise ship operated by UnCruise Adventures did come forward and towed the motorboat to Farragut Bay.
Booing after passengers learned the truth
A passenger aboard the cruise ship 'Dziedzictwo dzikiej przyrody’ described the rescue on Bluesky. The vessel acted after being contacted by the Coast Guard.
– In the night our ship rescued a drifting boat. We did it after the Coast Guard contacted us. Apparently Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht, which was closer, repeatedly refused to react – wrote the passenger on Bluesky.
According to the same account, when passengers were told whose yacht had ignored the earlier request, almost the entire deck responded with boos.
Social media users picked up the story quickly. One Reddit user from Juneau wrote: – I live in Juneau and have had to look at this terrible sight docked in Auke Bay. F***ing Zuckerberg.
– Well done, Zuck, a real 'man of the people.’ Maybe it’s true that the rich don’t give a damn about any of us – wrote another user on X.
Yacht’s spokesman responds
Brian Baker, a spokesman for the billionaire, told Forbes that the crew of Silicon Valley had not deliberately ignored the distress call. He explained that they were listening to a different radio channel and only checked the frequency used by the motorboat once the rescue operation was already underway.
Baker also emphasized that Zuckerberg was not on the yacht at the time of the incident. – We are glad everyone is safe – he stressed.
Source: Polsat News, Photo: Polsat News
