First came the multi-million dollar gifts, and then came the bash for the centibillionaire Mark Zuckerberg, who made quite a splash as he turned 40! The Meta boss finally blew out the candles on his latest acquisition and stellar gift, the superyacht Launchpad—a $300 million Feadship luxury vessel he apparently had bought a few weeks earlier. Representatives for Zuckerberg had never responded to confirm his ownership, but there were several clues that added fuel to the rumors, which were rife as wildfire. Zuckerberg himself had posted a video aboard his private plane on Instagram with the caption, “Travel mode: on.”
According to Zuck Jet, an Instagram account that tracks the movements of Mark Zuckerberg’s private jet, his Gulfstream G650 landed near Panama City after completing a 3,294-mile journey from Moffett Federal Airfield. According to Zuck Jet, this journey produced 31 tons of CO2, equivalent to what two Americans generate in one year. The jet landed at the same time his fleet of yachts arrived.
According to AIS data of his pleasure craft, the 387-foot Launchpad yacht, and its support vessel, the $30 million Wingman, both of which had arrived in Panama on Monday, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Other than her maiden voyage across the Atlantic in March, the Launchpad motor yacht hadn’t made any trips, perhaps waiting for a special occasion, and here it was! It was not every day that the fourth-richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $168 billion, turned 40.
His better half, Priscilla Chan, had turned the event into a memorable one by taking the tech tycoon down memory lane. According to his post on social media, the mother of his children had recreated several places the 40-year-old had lived during the early days, from his childhood bedroom to the Harvard dorm, and his first apartment, even Pinocchio’s Pizzeria where he had spent ample time during his college days.
This was a wonderful way of showing their daughters how their father lived and grew through each decade, the power of hard work, and how it made him the affluent father he is.
Among the hordes of guests from around the globe was one special tech tycoon, centibillionaire Bill Gates. The Microsoft co-founder shared a story wishing Zuckerberg on his milestone birthday along with a candid image of the two iconic American businessmen enjoying a piece of the simpler days. News of superyachts and their ownerships has grappled with these two tycoons these past few weeks. Gates grabbed headlines owing to Project 821, the world’s greenest megayacht, which no longer belongs to him; on the other hand, Zuckerberg has allegedly come into buying not one, but two stunning yachts.
