What would you do if you were the richest person on the planet? Go palace shopping? Jet off in a private plane? Sleep in Chanel and walk only on red carpets? We could ask Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, but he wouldn’t have much to say on the subject. Unlike his billionaire counterparts, the Tesla boss shows zero interest in owning, or even being on a superyacht.
At his peak, Musk was worth more than $400 billion and after a rocky stock market ride still maintains a staggering net worth of $357 billion. He could easily buy the world’s ten most expensive superyachts, including Jeff Bezos’ $500 million Koru, Roman Abramovich’s $600 million Eclipse, or even the ultra-secret REV Ocean. Yet, he doesn’t own a single yacht and is rarely seen unwinding on one. In contrast, his billionaire peers, Jeff Bezos ($223 billion), Mark Zuckerberg ($227 billion), Larry Ellison ($202 billion), and Bernard Arnault ($185 billion), are all proud superyacht owners, using their floating mansions to soak up the Mediterranean sun in summer.
Perhaps Musk’s aversion to yachts stems from his deep dislike of vacations. The 53-year-old once declared, “Vacations will kill you,” after nearly dying from malaria on a trip to South Africa in 2000. Since then, he has been wary of taking time off, even joking that every time he attempts a vacation, something goes wrong at his companies.
Call him a workaholic or simply someone who loves what he does, but despite managing a workforce of over 140,000 people, the X (formerly Twitter) owner claims he has taken no more than a few days off in the past 15 years. He even works while flying on his private jet. For a man who finds relaxation in solving engineering problems rather than lounging on a beach, a superyacht would serve little purpose except as a hefty, unnecessary expense.
Given that Musk wouldn’t settle for anything less than a $500 million megayacht, the annual maintenance alone would cost $50–$60 million. Factor in the environmental impact, and it’s easy to see why he steers clear of them. Still, there was one rare occasion when Musk was spotted on a yacht trip, back in 2020 at the billionaire hotspot of St. Barts. Expecting a man without a mansion to own a superyacht might seem far-fetched, but the world’s richest man decided to change that. In October 2024, Musk splurged $35 million on a sprawling Texas compound, designed to house his various exes and eleven children under one roof. The multi-mansion estate in Austin features adjoining properties, allowing the businessman to ‘schedule time’ for his youngest kids.
Rare Tahitian Air/Port Views
Meanwhile, his counterparts are making waves in the luxury yachting world. Centibillionaire Jeff Bezos owns not one but two yachts, the $500 million Koru, the largest sailing yacht in the world, and the $75 million support vessel Abeona. Mark Zuckerberg also boasts a duo, the $300 million Launchpad and its $30 million shadow vessel, Wingman. 80-year-old Larry Ellison, once the owner of the gargantuan $490 million Rising Sun, now sails aboard the sleeker motor yacht $130 million Musashi. Meanwhile, fashion mogul Bernard Arnault owns $150 million Symphony, a superyacht named after his passion for music and perhaps his love for the piano.
Musk may be the richest man in the world, but he remains an outlier among billionaires, proving that luxury isn’t always about yachts and beachside lounging; it’s about whatever drives you.
