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Larry Ellison’s Yacht Musashi: Everything You Want To Know

American billionaire Larry Ellison was the co-founder of Oracle Corporation and is believed to have a net worth of nearly $114 billion. Ellison is no stranger to the yachting world and used to co-own a yacht with David Geffen for many years. There was a rumor he sold his stake to Geffen because he thought their 453 foot yacht the Rising Sun was just too big for him. That was back in 2010. Since that time, Ellison has gone on to purchase his own yacht

Design and Features of Larry Ellison’s Yacht

Ellison’s yacht is known as Musashi. It was built in 2011, just after he sold his previous yacht to David Geffen. It was built by the company Feadship with an exterior design by De Voogt naval architects and interior handled by Sinot Yacht Design.

The vessel has a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. The decks are teak. The superyacht features at-anchor stabilizers to increase comfort. The on board water tanks store around 88,000 liters of fresh water.

What’s with Larry Ellison and Miyamoto Musashi?

Other yachts that Ellison has owned included the Ronin and the Katana. All four of these yachts have a noticeable theme in common and that is Japan with a strong leaning towards samurai culture. 

While Rising Sun is a reference to Japan itself, often called the Land of the Rising Sun, the other names are more samurai inspired. Ronin is the name of a masterless samurai while a katana is a type of sword that is often associated with the warriors. As for Musashi, that comes from a famous samurai warrior and Japanese swordsman named Miyamoto Musashi. It was said Musashi was a master swordsman and was undefeated in over 60 duels. 

This appreciation for Japanese culture also inspired some of the design elements of the yacht seen in the Sinot yacht architecture. That includes things like an overall minimalistic Japanese style, clean lines along the exterior to the materials and art found within which either reflect Japanese style or design esthetics.  One of the most notable pieces is a Hiroshi Senju painting.

Interior of Larry Ellison’s Yacht

The Musashi superyacht has been designed to accommodate up to 18 guests at a time, in addition to the crew who run the ship. That includes 10 guest suites, two of which are VIP cabins. Among the many features available for guests you can find

• a movie theater
• a swimming pool
• basketball court
• volleyball court
• beach and water toys

The 5 deck yacht can be accessed easily thanks to an elevator to take you where you need to go. Failing that, there’s a stainless steel and glass staircase that can take you through the structure. The design is a little unusual and where a tender garage would normally be kept on the lower decks is the gym and spa and then crew quarters as well as access to the inner workings of the ship are down below.

The Musashi also features a basketball court on board as well that can be converted for playing other sports like football and volleyball as a crane that can launch racing boats.

There is a tender garage, of course, but it’s located on the main deck as part of the giant beach club. You can also find a cinema on the main deck that converts to a lounge and then most of the guest cabins are on this level as well.

Heading to the upper deck, half of this entire space is reserved for the largest of the VIP suites. 

How Much Did Musashi Cost?

According to various reports, Musashi cost Ellison about $160 million. That doesn’t put it in the running to be the most expensive yacht in the world by any means, but it’s definitely an expensive superyacht.

The annual expense for running the yacht which includes everything from taxes and licenses, salary for the crew and fuel expenses is believed to run between $10 million and $20 million per year. That may seem like a lot but it’s pretty standard for a yacht of this size. This is part of the reason why many billionaire yacht owners will put their yacht up for charter during times when they are not using it. It’s much easier to cut those expenses when other people are paying them. 

That said, Ellison has not opted to make his yacht available for charter. At least not yet, anyway.

Speed and Propulsion

Musashi is powered by twin 5,766hp MTU 20V4000 M93L diesel engines.

• The yacht has a fuel capacity of 335,000 L (88,000 US gal).
• That means that Musashi has a maximum range of 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h).
• Cruising speed is 18 knots and a top speed of 21 knots.

The crew of the Musashi numbers around 24 and there are 10 crew cabins on board. This includes the crew needed to actually operate the vessel as well as additional crew members such as a chef and others who are able to see to the needs of the passengers for whatever they might require.

Musashi is a large yacht, though far from the largest yacht in the world.   It measures 288 feet in length, and has a beam of 45.6 feet. The draft is 13.5 feet and the gross tonnage of the megayacht is 2,463 tons. 

How Does The Musashi Yacht Compare to Other Luxury Yachts?

One of the most obvious comparisons you can make is between this luxury superyacht and Ellison’s previous yacht the Rising Sun , owned by David Geffen. The Rising Sun is 453 feet which is 165 feet longer than Musashi. The Rising Sun was also said to have a cost of around $200 million compared to the $160 million of Musashi. 

While $160 million is nothing to sneeze at, the current reigning title for most expensive yacht seems to belong to the Eclipse, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich which, after the initial purchase and various retrofits and upgrades, is said to have cost him $1.5 billion.

In terms of size, Musashi also falls short of the largest yacht in the world which is the massive Azzam. It measures in at 180 meters which is nearly 600 feet in length.

The Bottom Line

Larry Ellison was the founder of Oracle and is one of the top ten richest people in the world. He spent $160 million on his yacht Musashi, named after a historical samurai. Musashi measures in at 288 feet in length and can handle up to 18 guests on board. The yacht features a pool, spa, gym and other amenities and is very much inspired by Japanese design elements. 

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Inside Musashi: Oracle Co-Founder Larry Ellison’s $160 Million Superyacht

Larry Ellison sails in style on his $160 million superyacht Musahi.

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Larry ellison’s ownership of the superyacht musashi, the samurai connection of the superyacht, a minimalist, japanese-style vessel.

It is a common knowledge that the world’s wealthiest people like blowing millions of dollars on collectible vehicles, opulent homes, private planes, and other luxuries. Others own a lot of stocks and corporations all over the world and tech billionaire Larry Ellison is among them. Nothing really compares to a multimillion-dollar superyacht when it comes to establishing your super-rich social hierarchy, and it is pretty obvious since the Oracle co-founder has more than one superyacht.

Superyachts can be purchased for hundreds of millions of dollars and maintained for millions more annually. It is regarded as the foremost symbol of prosperity and exemplifies excellent affluence. Many billionaires possess enormous superyachts that are the ideal signs of their opulent lifestyles.

RELATED:  Inside The Flying Fox: Jeff Bezos' $400 Million Mega Yacht

Superyacht Musashi, owned by American billionaire Larry Ellison, is one expensive example and is amazingly featured in one of Netflix's series, The Dropout. Fans were astonished at the sight of the superyacht seen in the series. The peculiar designs and architectural layout are remarkable that this raises queries about it and the identity of the yacht's enormous owner.

Larry Ellison, full name Lawrence Joseph Ellison, was the Oracle's software corporation co-founder and CEO from 1977 to 2014. With a net worth of $93 billion and a co-founder of Oracle Corporation. He is the eighth richest person in the world. He is considered one of the highest-paid CEO in the US. Although it has been announced that Ellison will be leaving the board of directors in 2022, he also owns shares in Tesla valued at the US $1 billion.His Musashi is revered by all as a classic illustration of the most luxurious pastime a millionaire like Ellison enjoys. It is an 88-meter vessel designed in the Japanese style and unveiled in 2011 by the Koninklijke De Vries yard of Feadship in Makkum, the Netherlands.

Musashi measures 87.78 m (288.0 ft) overall and 13.90 m in beam (45.6 ft). Together with her sister ship Fountainhead, she is ranked as the 79th-largest yacht in the world. Her well-chosen name reflects the appreciation for Japanese styling that her very skilled owner shares. Additionally, the billionaire has made no secret of his admiration for Japanese tradition and has acquired a precious collection of Japanese artwork that dates back thousands of years.

Ellison is well-known for having owned numerous high-end superyachts during his life. The 58-meter Ronin, the 75-meter Katana, and the 138-meter Rising Sun are some of them. When you get here, you'll see that the names of all these vessels are strongly associated with the country of the rising Sun. With its name derived from the illustrious samurai Miyamoto Musashi in Japanese history, the Musashi also adheres to this tradition. Musashi, who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries, was a skilled swordsman, philosopher, military leader, author, and Roman.

At the age of 13, Musashi killed a guy in single combat, launching his career as a fighter. He claimed to engage in more or less 60 separate sword fights, all of which he claimed to have won, many of which were to the death. Legend has it that he remained undefeated throughout his life and was renowned as a "sword saint" because he set out on a personal quest to learn excellent sword skills. Ellison's choice of the name reveals his love of samurai mythology and Japanese culture. In reality, the billionaire also owned a Japanese art collection in an exhibition that debuted over a weekend at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

Feadship delivered the superyacht, which cost an estimated amount of $160 million and was the largest vessel ever constructed by the shipyard at the time.  With a crew of 23, Musashi can accommodate 18 guests. Japanese art and design elements are mixed throughout the room. The aesthetic sensibility of the Eastern nation is reflected in every piece of furniture, material utilized, work of art, and sculpture. The ship has five decks, which is a very unusual layout. The tender boats are again positioned on the main deck and prepared to transform into a mobile beach club once they are released into the sea. Downstairs are technical areas and crew accommodations, a gym, and a garage, although this is often a garage for tender motor boats. Musashi's theater room, which can be transformed into a comfortable living room when necessary, is one of its best features. The passenger compartments are located in the main deck's remaining space.

Meanwhile, a master suite fills half of the upper deck. It contains a theater room that can be converted, and the living room on the main deck has a breathtaking outlook. The glass and stainless-steel elevator system must be mentioned, encircled by a glass staircase that winds across the boat's floors. Musashi has an average speed of 18 knots and can operate continuously at over 6,000 knots.

READ NEXT:  Inside Privacy: Tiger Woods' $20 Million Yacht

Sources: SCMP , Billionaire's Press , Boat International

Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison is the founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, which earned him a spot as fifth wealthiest person in the world in 2014.

Background and Early Career

Larry Ellison was born in the Bronx, New York, on August 17, 1944, to single mother Florence Spellman. When he was nine months old, Ellison came down with pneumonia, and his mother sent him to Chicago to be raised by her aunt and uncle, Lillian and Louis Ellison, who adopted the baby.

After high school, Ellison enrolled at the University of Illinois, Champaign (1962), where he was named science student of the year. During his second year, his adopted mother died, and Ellison dropped out of college. The following fall, he enrolled at the University of Chicago, but he dropped out after only one semester.

Ellison then packed his bags for Berkeley, California, with little money, and for the next decade he moved from job to job at such places as Wells Fargo and Amdahl Corporation. Between college and his various jobs, Ellison had picked up basic computer skills, and he was finally able to put them to use as a programmer at Amdahl, where he worked on the first IBM-compatible mainframe system.

In 1977, Ellison and two of his Amdahl colleagues founded Software Development Labs and soon had a contract to build a database-management system—which they called Oracle—for the CIA. The company had fewer than 10 employees and revenue of less than $1 million per year, but in 1981, IBM signed on to use Oracle, and the company’s sales doubled every year for the next seven years. Ellison soon renamed the company after its best-selling product.

Oracle Corporation

In 1986, Oracle Corporation held its IPO (initial public offering), but some accounting issues helped wipe out the majority of the company’s market capitalization and Oracle teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. After a management shakeup and a product-cycle refresh, however, Oracle’s new products took the industry by storm, and by 1992 the company was the leader in the database-management realm.

Success continued, and as Ellison was Oracle’s largest shareholder, he became one of the wealthiest people in the world. Ellison set his sights on growth through acquisitions, and over the next several years he gobbled up several companies, including PeopleSoft, Siebel Systems and Sun Microsystems, all of which helped Oracle reach a market cap of roughly $185 billion with some 130,000 employees by 2014.

America's Cup

When he’s not busy bolstering his software empire, Ellison races yachts (his yacht Rising Sun is over 450 feet long—one of the largest privately owned vessels in the world), and in 2010 he joined the BMW Oracle racing team and won the prestigious America’s Cup. The victory brought the cup to the United States for the first time in 15 years, a win the team repeated in 2013.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Larry Ellison
• Birth Year: 1944
• Birth date: August 17, 1944
• Birth State: New York
• Birth City: Bronx
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: male
• Best Known For: Larry Ellison is the founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, which earned him a spot as fifth wealthiest person in the world in 2014.
• Business and Industry
• Astrological Sign: Leo
• University of Chicago
• University of Illinois at Champaign
• Nacionalities
• Interesting Facts
• In 2014, Larry Ellison hit No. 5 on the list of the world's wealthiest people.
• Occupations
• Entrepreneur

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Larry Ellison Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/larry-ellison
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: April 15, 2019
• Original Published Date: May 23, 2014

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us

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The superyachts owned by tech moguls

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is set to join the exclusive club of yacht-owning tech tycoons as the rumoured owner of Oceanco's mighty 127m sailing yacht . Though it should come as no surprise - other big names in tech such as the late Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison and Paul Allen have been responsible for some of the biggest and most ground-breaking superyachts in the world...

The 127-metre Oceanco sailing yacht Koru, formerly Y721, was launched and reportedly delivered to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in April 2023. This three-masted schooner, meaning “new beginnings” in Maori, with an expected 33000 GT and a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, is the largest in the world and the longest built in the Netherlands at Oceanco. Knocking Lürssen's Eos , owned by Biller and Diane von Furstenburg, off the top spot, Koru harnesses design similarities with her black hull, white superstructure and classic lines. However, the intricate gold paintwork, scarlet bootstrap and elaborate figurehead on the bow particularly set her apart.

Larry Ellison

American business magnate Larry Ellison is the co-founder of the billion-dollar computer tech corporation Oracle. In 2004, he commissioned the 138-metre Lürssen superyacht Rising Sun (pictured), which stands today as the 15th largest yacht in the world. It was also the last yacht that ever came from the drawing boards of legendary designed Jon Bannenberg, sporting a military-esque profile with a lean destroyer-type hull and extensive use of structural glass . Rising Sun boasts 8,000m² of living space including a wine cellar and basketball court, with a crew of 45. One of her tenders, a catamaran, even carries the yacht’s 4x4 vehicle ashore. 

Ellison later sold the yacht to media mogul David Geffen and has since hosted a parade of Hollywood's glitterati on board including Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen and Oprah Winfrey – to name a few. 

In 2011, Ellison appeared to downsize and took delivery of the 88-metre Feadship Musashi . Not unlike Rising Sun in its appearance, structural glass features heavily throughout with a central glass lift, surrounded by a stainless steel and glass staircase that passes through every deck.

More about this yacht

The late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is responsible for two of the most iconic superyachts in the world. At 126-metres in length, Octopus is perhaps his most famous. Built by Lürssen in 2003, this ice-classed superyacht was designed for extended cruising to the most remote locations on earth with a range of 12,500 nautical miles. Home to a helicopter garage, drive-in tender garage, six tenders, and a submarine, she packs a serious punch within her 9,932GT – not to mention the cinema, swimming pool, recording studio, basketball court and spa. At the end of 2019, she joined the market for the very first time , having completed an eight-month refit at Blohm+Voss, and remains the benchmark for exploration yachting.

Tatoosh is another honourable mention and was built by German shipyard Nobiskrug in 2000, three years prior to the delivery of Octopus . At 92-metres, she's smaller than her successor, but to describe Tatoosh as "small" would be a severe understatement. Highlights include a six-foot-deep swimming pool, a pair of helipads, a crew of 30, and a custom 12-metre Hinckley powerboat that she carries on her top deck. Tatoosh is also listed for sale following a refit earlier this year. 

Yachts for charter

The 78-metre Feadship Venus was built for the late Apple boss and founder Steve Jobs. Built under the codename Project Aqua, Venus was launched to international fanfare in 2012, heralded for its extensive use of glass and pared-back design courtesy of Philippe Starck . Innovative features include a false top deck that conceals the communication and television receivers from view and a passarelle that, when opened, looks like the charging port of an iPhone. Venus ’s interior details have been closely guarded since its launch. Sadly, Jobs died a year before the yacht was delivered.

Charles Simonyi

Charles Simonyi led the team that built the first edition of the Microsoft Office software suite and was rumoured to have previously owned Lürssen’s iconic 71-metre SKAT .  Nearly two decades after her launch in 2002, she joined the market for the first time and now Simonyi is thought to have upgraded to the 89-metre Lürssen Norn . Both yachts, penned by Espen Onion, share similar design features. Standout features include an alfresco cinema and adapted depth pool floor with dance floor. Norn was delivered in May 2023.

Sergey Brin

Google co-founder Sergey Brin reportedly owns the high-speed SilverYachts superyacht named Dragonfly , after Google’s once-secret project to launch a censored search engine in China. Delivered in 2009, the 73.3-metre Dragonfly was hailed as the fastest, most fuel-efficient long-range cruising superyacht on the water with a transatlantic range at 22 knots and a fuel consumption of only 360 litres per hour at 18 knots, extending her range to 4,500 nautical miles. Dragonfly is said to have a dance floor and open-air movie theatre on board. The vessel was applauded for its contribution to the disaster relief effort in Vanuatu after Hurricane Pam devastated the island in 2015. The crew reportedly moved 62 metric tons of freshwater ashore, treated over 250 patients, facilitated three medical evacuations, and built shelters in multiple villages and cleared numerous helicopter landing zones for ongoing support.

Google’s billionaire co-founder Larry Page purchased the 60-metre explorer yacht conversion Senses from a New Zealand businessman Sir Douglas Myers back in 2011. The globe-trotting superyacht features interiors by Philippe Starck and can accommodate a total of 12 guests on board, with primary guests reaping the benefits of the master suite's gyro-stabilised bed. Senses also houses an exceptional toy box with three high-speed tenders, six wave runners, a jet board and a JetLev. According to the New Zealand Herald, Senses is currently undergoing a refit in Whangārei, New Zealand, after being sold to an unknown buyer in 2020. 

Barry Diller

The world’s largest three-masted schooner – also the third largest sailing yacht in the world – is owned by fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg and her husband Barry Diller, chairman and senior executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and Expedia Group. The 92.92-metre sailing yacht, named Eos , was built in Germany by Lürssen and delivered in 2006 with a trio of masts that stand 61-metres tall. The sailing yacht has hosted the couple's star-studded group of friends including Andy Cohen, Gayle King, Bradley Cooper, Harry Styles and Karlie Kloss. The interiors were designed by Francois Catroux, who Vanity Fair named as “the super-rich's favourite interior designer" in 2016.

Mark Zuckerburg

The 107-metre Kleven superyacht Andromeda was built for serial superyacht owner Graeme Hart and delivered under the name Ulysses . In 2017, a year after its launch, rumours began circulating that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg had purchased the rugged, six-deck explorer (although a Facebook spokesperson was quick to stamp out the rumours and released a statement denying the claims). Andromeda can carry 36 guests and is equipped with an impressive inventory of toys and tenders, including six motorbikes, two ATVs, a helicopter and an amphibious rib. Five years after her launch, Andromeda still ranks among the largest explorer yachts in the world . 

Eric Schmidt

The former Google ceo Eric Schmidt backed out of the purchase of the abandoned 81.3-metre Oceanco Alfa Nero but has been said to have moved onto become the new owner of a 95-metre Lürssen. Kismet was sold in September 2023 to the billionaire as part of one of the biggest brokerage deal of the year. With the details shrouded in secrecy the yacht is now aptly known as Whisper . Espen Onio was responsible for her iconic exterior while inside was thanks to  Reymond Langton , achieving the original brief from the previous commissioning owner Shahid Khan of “caviar and champagne.” Standout details include the hi-tech, art deco saloon, a private observation platform and the Persian-inspired spa area.

The co-founder and former ceo of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, has been rumoured to own the 99.9-metre Feadship , Moonrise. The yacht’s clean and strong lines, penned by Chris Bottoms from Studio de Voogt , won the highly competitive class of best displacement motor yachts above 3,000 GT in the World Superyacht Awards 2021. Features include the helicopter landing deck and modern interiors by Remi Tessier . Accommodation is for up to 16 guests, and there are 32 crew members onboard Moonrise to attend to the guests' every need. The Ukrainian-American mogul is also said to own the accompanying support vessel Nebula.

Evan Speigel

The Silicone Valley ceo, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel has been reportedly said to own the 94.8-metre Feadship Bliss. Delivered in 2021 the motor yacht penned by Feadship's Studio De Voogt Naval Architects has most recently been spotted cruising Auckland in September 2023. Spiegel is rumoured to be Feadship's younger client. Bliss can accommodate up to 18 guests across nine staterooms; however little else is known about the 2983 GT yacht.

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Oracle CEO Larry Ellison Is Stepping Down to Spend More Time With His Yachts

Larry Ellison, the billionaire tech pioneer who became notorious outside of tech circles for cheating his way to a 2013 America’s Cup championship, announced today that he is stepping down from Oracle, the company he founded. Ellison will turn over day-to-day leadership of Oracle to president Mark Hurd and CFO Safra Katz, who will become   co-CEOs.

With Ellison stepping out of the top role, America will lose perhaps its most unabashed CEO — a guy who embraced his magnate status to the extent of hiring a person to chase after his yacht on a jet ski to collect stray basketballs, buying 98 percent of a Hawaiian island, and suing an airport that wouldn’t let him land his private jet there.

Ellison’s departure comes at an uncertain time for Oracle. As Bloomberg Businessweek ’s Ashlee Vance puts   it:

Ellison leaves Oracle at a time when the company is in good financial health and benefitting from a resurgent technology boom. There are huge questions about the company’s future, though. Oracle has been late delivering a slew of its most ambitious recent products. Its database software is being used less and less by new technology companies that have moved toward more flexible types of applications. And its model of having a huge sales force looks antiquated at a time when people are buying infrastructure software via the Web with their credit cards.

But luckily for us, Ellison is sticking around in some capacity. According to Re/code , he’ll remain co-chairman of Oracle’s board and its chief technology officer. Granted, he’s been checked out of the corner office for a while. (Witness his decision to skip his own keynote address at an Oracle conference for a fancy boat race.) And now, with more time at his disposal, he’ll be able to do all the yacht-watching he   wants.

• white men with money and boats
• larry ellison

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How to Play Basketball Like a Tech Tycoon

Reivax / Flickr (Creative Commons)

The very rich play basketball differently from you and me.

At least, Oracle co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison does. In an article naming Ellison as a possible suitor for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Wall Street Journal dropped the following tidbit about the tech tycoon’s recreational habits :

The Oracle chief has had basketball courts on at least two of his yachts, said Tom Ehman, who handles America’s Cup matters for Mr. Ellison. He said Mr. Ellison liked to relax by shooting hoops on these courts, and has had someone in a powerboat following the yacht to retrieve balls that go overboard.

Apparently I do not understand being uber-rich at all, because I would have thought it’d be easier just to bring along some spare basketballs. But then I guess you wouldn’t get the satisfaction of barking, “Smithers, fetch me that roundball!” every time you laid another brick.

Let it not be said, though, that Ellison is wasteful: The basketball court on his yacht The Rising Sun— reportedly the world’s 10th-largest yacht —conveniently doubles as a helipad.

Ellison, by the way, took in a cool $78.4 million in compensation last year for his stewardship of the world’s second-largest software vendor —more than twice as much as any other CEO in America, according to Equilar . He also owns 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lanai .

Previously in Slate :

• Oracle Finally Deigns to Fix Java After Months of Silence
• Hawaiians Wish Bill Gates Had Bought Lanai, Not Larry Ellison
• All Hail the Billionaire-Funded, Cheat-Tastic America’s Cup Victors
• Google CEO Is Tired of Rivals, Laws, Wants to Start His Own Country

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The Luxury Boats Owned By Some of the Wealthiest People in Tech, from a Yacht So Big It Has Its Own Support Boat to Superyachts with Swimming Pools and Basketball Courts Tech billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, and Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have all purchased mini vacation hubs at sea.

By Grace Kay and Sindhu Sundar • Jul 3, 2023

Key Takeaways

• Many billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson enjoy spending their time on luxurious yachts.
• The boats are decked out with amenities that many Americans can only dream of.
• Here are some of the billionaires in tech who own private yachts.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider .

A regular Jane celebrating a personal renaissance after a long-term relationship might commemorate the new era with an ankle tattoo of a spiritual saying. When you're a billionaire, you could do it instead with a $500 million megayacht .

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made waves in May riding around the roughly 127-meter "Koru," a Māori term that may signify a fresh start, with his reported fiancée Lauren Sanchez. (In 2019, Bezos finalized his divorce from MacKenzie Scott, whom he was married to for 25 years).

Beyond the private planes occupying the hangars of billionaires, yachts have come to symbolize the highly private sites of leisure and networking reserved for the ultra-wealthy .

Tech billionaires like Bezos, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, and Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page have all purchased their own mini vacation hubs at sea, decking their boats with amenities like gyms, spas, pools, nightclubs, and movie theaters.

For those wishing to experience life aboard these multi-million-dollar yachts, some are available to rent out for a few nights or weeks at a time. Late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen's yacht can be booked for $2.2 million per week or more, according Bloomberg .

Chartering yachts owned by billionaires like Alphabet cofounder Sergey Brin has previously cost customers anywhere from $773,000 a week to $1.2 million .

It remains to be seen how these vessels will fare against the apparent Orca uprising.

Take a look at some of the yachts that have been owned by tech billionaires.

A mystery buyer bought a 414-foot superyacht that was once owned by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for $278 million. Allen had the boat, which was named "Octopus," built in 2003 for $200 million. Since the tech billionaire's death in 2018, the boat had been listed for as much as $325 million.

Octopus in Canary Wharf, London, in 2012. Ki Price/Reuters Source: SuperYacht Times

The wealthy can book the yacht for a weekly rate of $2.2 million or more, through the luxury company Camper & Nicholsons, Bloomberg reported last year.

414ft luxury yacht 'Octopus' owned by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen, is moored to fuel up at Ege Ports in Kusadasi district of Aydin, Turkey on April 27, 2015. Ibrahim Uzun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Sources: Bloomberg; Insider .

Amazon founder Bezos' $500 million megayacht, the roughly 127-meter "Koru," sparked attention in May for its artistic decor. A sculpture of a woman on the boat appeared to observers to be the likeness of Bezos' reported fiancée Sanchez, who was also seen that month on the yacht sporting a large ring.

Jeff Bezos was spotted aboard his megayacht "Koru" in May. Lift Aircraft.

Even before its completion, "Koru" drew the ire of Dutch people vowing to hurl eggs at the boat if it would require a historic bridge in Rotterdam to be taken apart to let it through. An egg crisis was averted however, as the company making the ship found a less-irksome alternative.

View of the Koningshaven Bridge, known as De Hef in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Peter Dejong/AP

Bezos has long been interested in yachts. In 2019, he was spotted aboard entertainment mogul David Geffen's superyacht.

David Geffen's superyacht Flickr via BI

Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison owns a 288-foot yacht named Musashi that he acquired in 2013. The yacht has several amenities, including an elevator, swimming pool, movie theater, and both an indoor and outdoor gym.

rulenumberone2/Flickr, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: Yacht Bible

Ellison has owned several superyachts over the years, including the Katana, the Ronin, and the Rising Sun.

Courtesy of Lurssen Source: Forbes .

The Oracle cofounder also has a knack for competitive yacht racing, and helped to found and back a racing team, called Oracle Team USA, in 2000. The team has found success and won several prestigious titles over the years.

Xaume Olleros/Getty Images Sport Source: Telegraph

Ellison previously owned a bigger, 454-foot yacht called Rising Sun, which was designed specifically for the CEO in 2005. That yacht reportedly has 82 rooms, a movie theater, a wine cellar, and a basketball court. However, Ellison sold off the Rising Sun to Geffen for a reported $300 million.

Kimberly White/Getty Images Source: Forbes , Boat International

Ellison's boat, Musashi, is a sister ship to the yacht of another billionaire, former Sears CEO Eddie Lampert. However, the yacht, named Fountainhead, is often mistaken for belonging to billionaire investor Mark Cuban. "The guy who owns the boat tells everyone that it's mine," Cuban told Page Six in 2016. "It's so crazy ... I don't even own a boat."

Mark Cuban. Steve Marcus/Reuters

Source: Page Six

Ellison's yacht reportedly influenced the decision of late Apple CEO Steve Jobs to get a boat himself. However, Jobs never set foot on the boat — the yacht was commissioned in 2008, but wasn't completed until 2012, a year after his death.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Source: Business Insider

When Jobs died in 2011, his yacht — along with his $14.1 billion fortune — was inherited by his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president of a social-impact nonprofit called the Emerson Collective. The 256-foot yacht is named Venus, and is worth $130 million.

AP Photo/Peter Dejong Source: Business Insider

Google's billionaire cofounders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, are known to splurge. An Insider feature in December documented some of the trappings of their luxury, including planes and yachts.

Sergey Brin (left) and Larry Page. Getty / Michael Nagle

Source: Insider .

Page owned a yacht named Senses, a $45 million, 194-foot boat that he bought in 2011 from a New Zealand businessman. He's since sold the yacht, Insider reported in 2021, a vessel that had a private beach club with a Jacuzzi and sun beds, both indoor and outdoor dining areas, and a helicopter pad. It's unclear what other sea vessels he owns, though Insider has previously reported he might have another yacht.

Ari Helminen/Flickr, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Sources: Boat International; Insider .

Brin meanwhile owns a number of yachts and vessels including the 73-meter Dragonfly, and the 40-meter Butterfly, Insider reported in January.

Abell Point Marina/YouTube Source: Insider .

Dragonfly, the $80 million boat that has a movie-theater, shares a name with Google's once-secret project to launch a censored search engine in China. Google said in 2019 it had officially terminated the project.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press Source: Insider , Forbes .

The former Google CEO picked up the Alfa Nero yacht for nearly $68 million in an auction in June, according to a Bloomberg report. The yacht had apparently been left amid Russia's war in Ukraine, according to the report.

Eric Schmidt REUTERS/Brian Snyder Source: Bloomberg .

For Skype cofounder Niklas Zennstrom, his interest in yachts skews toward racing and competitive sailing. Zennstrom has gone through a succession of boats all named Ran.

Co-Founder and CEO of Skype Technologies, United Kingdom Niklas Zennstroem listens during a plenary entitled 'Digital 2.0:Powering a Creative Economy' at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, AP Photo/Michel Euler

Source: CNN

The Ran VII yacht is among the most advanced of Zennstrom's boats. The racing yacht uses electrical power, which Zennstrom has said makes it "lighter, less drag, quieter, and most importantly it is environmentally friendly."

Carkeek Design Partners/YouTube Source: CNN

The 40-foot yacht has been meant to compete in regattas through the racing team owned by Zennstrom and his wife, Catherine. The Ran racing team launched in 2008, and has won some prestigious regattas.

The Ran racing team. Carkeek Design Partners/YouTube Source: CNN

Barry Diller, chairman of digital media company IAC, co-owns a $70 million yacht with his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.

Diane von Furstenberg, left, and Barry Diller. Scott Olson/Getty Images Source: Business Insider

The sailing yacht, named Eos, is 350 feet long with six bedrooms. The power couple has hosted many celebrities over the years — a few that have been spotted aboard Eos include model Karlie Kloss, actor Bradley Cooper, journalist Anderson Cooper, and singer Harry Styles.

snowwahine/YouTube Source: W Magazine

For Jim Clark, the cofounder of Netscape, one yacht hasn't been enough. Clark has owned boats for more than 30 years, and in 2012, he put up two of his sailing yachts for sale.

Jim Clark, right. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images Source: Business Insider

Clark listed the boats for a combined $113 million: the 136-foot Hanuman for $18 million, and the 295-foot Athena for $95 million. However, Clark has yet to offload Athena. Clark also previously owned a 155-foot yacht named Hyperion, and currently also owns a sloop called Hanuman.

The yacht Athena. Fosnez / Wikimedia Commons Source: Boat International , Forbes

Charles Simonyi worked at Microsoft until 2002, and oversaw the creation of Microsoft Office software. A few years before he left, Simonyi decided to purchase a yacht. He told the designer that wanted his yacht to be "home away from [his] home in Seattle."

Reuters/Sergei Remezov Source: Boat International

The product of that conversation in 1999 is Simonyi's yacht named Skat, meaning "treasure" in Danish. The yacht measures 233 feet long, and is unique with its nontraditional design and gray color. Skat features a matching gray helicopter, a gym, and motorcycles.

Christopher Hunt/Getty Images Source: Yacht Charter Fleet

Opulent British billionaire Richard Branson owned a yacht until he sold it in September 2018. The 105-foot catamaran sold for $3 million, significantly lower than the $9.6 million price Branson listed the boat for in 2014.

Anthony Harvey/Getty Images, Virgin Source: Business Insider

Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, bought the boat in 2009. He named it Necker Belle, a nod to his private Caribbean island, Necker Island.

Necker Island Source: Business Insider

Additional reporting by Paige Leskin.

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Ellison recounts deadly yacht race

Oracle's CEO recounts last month's perilous Sydney to Hobart race--and he says filmmakers have expressed interest.

The Oracle chief executive and avid yacht racer today said that filmmakers have approached him about making a movie depicting his experience winning--and surviving--the lethal Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race last month.

Ellison declined to elaborate on the film interest, which he acknowledged following a lunchtime address to the St. Francis Yacht Club here.

Ellison, owner and skipper of the 80-foot Sayonara, found himself in serious trouble when a forecasted storm turned into a hurricane last month. Six sailors from other vessels lost their lives in the disaster.

Forty-four of the 115 boats that began the race completed it.

In today's remarks, Ellison gave a riveting account of his recent battle with nature. Ellison's talk elicited gasps and sympathetic groans from his audience of yachting enthusiasts as the database magnate chronicled with precise technical detail the force of the gales, the height and angle of the waves, and the lengthening inventory of sails and other vital yacht hardware destroyed in what Ellison described as a full-fledged hurricane.

The standing-room only address benefited the American Red Cross , which is raising money for the families of the six drowned sailors.

Shortly after emerging from the eye of the storm, the Sayonara was hoisted on waves so steep that the vessel repeatedly found itself in several-seconds-long free falls above the churning sea. Ellison recounted seeing crew members suspended in mid-air before being dashed back to the decks.

One of Ellison's two dozen crew members went overboard without his harness, but managed to climb back on. Ellison's crew emerged from the storm whole but battered. Injuries included broken feet, ribs, and knees.

Ellison was seasick for the second time in his life, he said, and vomited more times than he could count. For three days he stopped eating, and for the last of these he stopped drinking water as well.

"I'm an acrobatic pilot, so I'm used to funny things happening in my inner ear," Ellison said. "But boy was I sick."

In response to a question from the audience, Ellison acknowledged that he thought he might die in the storm, though the exigencies of the moment prevented him from dwelling on the prospect.

"A stupid way to die" "What a stupid way to die," Ellison said he thought at the time. "At least the professionals are being paid for this. I was paying to be there, so I felt especially stupid."

Ellison and the other racers expected stormy weather, which he said was routine for the Tasman Sea at that time of year. But nobody has forecast a hurricane, he said.

Ellison praised the 71 boats that withdrew from the race rather than complete it.

"This is not what sailboat racing is supposed to be about," Ellison said.

Ellison's next scheduled yacht race is the U.K.'s Fastnet, which he will sail with fellow yacht racer Ted Turner.

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Larry Ellison is stepping down as Oracle CEO. Here's how he got so rich.

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Billionaire software mogul Larry Ellison  announced today that he's stepping down as the CEO of the company he founded and has led for 37 years. If you're like most people, you probably have only the vaguest idea why Oracle is an important company and why Ellison is so rich.  Read on for details.

What is Oracle?

Oracle, founded in the late 1970s and based in Silicon Valley, is one of the world's biggest enterprise software companies. It sells a line of software products that help large and medium-sized companies manage their operations.

Oracle is best known for its database product, which it has sold since the late 1970s. Oracle was founded at a time when database products — and, for that matter, software companies — were a relatively new concept. Oracle quickly established itself as one of the world's most popular database products, and as the information technology sector grew, Oracle grew with it.

In the last decade, a series of acquisitions has helped Oracle evolve from a database company to a more general enterprise software company:

• In 2004, after a brutal  takeover battle , Oracle acquired PeopleSoft , which sold a range of enterprise software products — such as software to manage human resources, supply chains, customer support, and other functions.
• The next year, Oracle acquired Siebel Systems , another company that produces software for big companies.
• In 2008, Oracle bought yet another enterprise software company, BEA Systems .
• In 2010, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, which is best known as the creator of the Java programming language, but also produced an operating system, database, and other software and hardware products.

The result: Oracle is now a massive conglomerate that sells a broad range of software products and services to large companies. Thanks to the Sun acquisition, the company also produces some computer hardware. In 2013, Oracle had revenues of $37 billion and profits of $11 billion. For comparison, that same year, Google had revenues of $60 billion and profits of $13 billion.

Oracle's campus in Silicon Valley. ( Håkan Dahlström )

These products sound really boring, and I don't know anyone who uses them. How does Oracle make so much money?

Selling software to big companies is really, really lucrative.

Oracle will make extensive modifications to its products to serve the needs of individual customers

In fact, Oracle isn't even the biggest company in what's called the enterprise IT industry. IBM, the company that basically invented the enterprise IT market in the 1960s, had revenues of almost $100 billion in 2013, though it posted a net loss for the year of $16 billion. HP had revenues of $113 billion and profits of $5 billion. SAP earned about $4 billion in profits on revenues of around $22 billion.

The enterprise software market is a lot different than the market for conventional packaged software products that you might be familiar with. Microsoft can create a single version of Microsoft Office and sell millions of largely identical copies to customers around the world. In contrast, enterprise software tends to be much more customized. Big companies want software that's precisely tailored to their needs. Often this means that a company like Oracle will make extensive modifications to its products to serve the needs of individual customers.

One consequence of this is that there's a tremendous amount of vendor lock-in in the enterprise software market. Once a company has signed up to use IBM, HP, Oracle, or SAP software, they tend to continue using it for years or even decades. Typically, they'll sign long-term service contracts, in which the software vendor provides service and support in exchange for regular payments.

Because they do so much custom software work (and because selling to large companies requires a large sales force), enterprise software companies tend to have large workforces. Oracle employed 122,000 people in 2013. The same year, IBM had 431,000 employees, HP had 317,000, and SAP had 66,000. For comparison, Google, which generates almost twice as much revenue as Oracle, has less than half as many employees: 52,000. Creating web-based consumer software isn't nearly as labor-intensive.

Who is Larry Ellison?

Larry Ellison's yacht in 2010. (DEAN TREML/AFP/Getty Images)

Until this week, Larry Ellison was Oracle's founder and CEO. His management of Oracle has made him one of the richest people on the planet, with an estimated net worth of about $50 billion.

A college dropout, Ellison worked on a variety of software projects in the 1970s. At the time, computer scientists were  developing a new concept called a relational database — a separate computer program that would help organize information and respond to queries about it. Recognizing the potential demand for a commercial database product, he founded the company that became Oracle in 1977.

By the 1990s, he was a billionaire, and he became known for his lavish lifestyle. Until he sold it in 2010, he owned  one of the ten largest yachts in the world . Ellison leads  one of the best sailing teams in the country. He has been married and divorced four times.

Ellison owns 98 percent of the island of Lanai, the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian islands, which he purchased in 2012 for a rumored $300 million.

Why is Ellison stepping down as CEO?

Ellison recently turned 70 years old, and he says the change is part of Oracle's succession planning process. He's going to become Oracle's chairman and will continue to work on Oracle's technology.

Who is replacing him?

Oracle has chosen an unorthodox arrangement to replace Ellison. The company will have two people who will both carry the title of CEO.

Mark Hurd (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Mark Hurd, 57, was the CEO of HP from 2005 to 2010. He resigned from that job after a woman  accused him of sexual harassment . HP's board concluded that the sexual harassment charges were unsubstantiated, but they found evidence that he had misreported expenses related to the woman, a misuse of company funds. Hurd was hired by Oracle a few weeks later. Hurd will run Oracle's service and sales divisions.

Safra Catz (KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/Getty Images)

Safra Catz, 52, has been at Oracle since 1999. She was previously in banking. She will oversee Oracle's manufacturing, finance, and legal divisions.

Ellison will continue leading Oracle's engineering team.

What was Oracle's biggest claim to fame?

Oracle was an early pioneer in the market for a technology called relational databases.

A database is software that manages large amounts of data and facilitates efficient queries. It's not something ordinary users interact with, but it's an important part of almost every large software project. Most complex websites are based on databases, as are the computer systems of banks, insurance companies, airlines, and other companies.

A relational database is a database that organizes data into tables with well-defined columns. The predictable structure of a relational database allows users to perform queries using something called the structured query language (SQL — both "S-Q-L" and "sequel" are acceptable pronunciations). Here is an example SQL query:

select name from customers where zip_code = '55121'

This SQL query tells a relational database to open the "customers" table and return a list of all the names of customers who live in zip code 55121. More complex SQL queries can perform complex comparisons and can combine data from multiple tables.

In addition to the value of being able to perform complex queries, relational databases are also used because they are engineered to be highly reliable. When programs try to organize large amounts of information themselves, they're more likely to make mistakes that lead to data loss, which a database where data is already organized can avoid.

Demand for relational database software surged in the 1980s and 1990s, and Oracle grew into a large and profitable company.

Are there alternatives to Oracle's database?

Yes, a number of other companies and organizations create competing databases. IBM's DB2 database has been a major Oracle competitor since the 1980s. Microsoft sells a database called  SQL Server.

There are also a number of open source database products. Until recently, one of the most popular was called MySQL. The company behind MySQL was acquired by Sun in 2008, which in turn was acquired by Oracle in 2010. Still, because MySQL is open source, users can use the product without paying Oracle for it. In recent years, the open-source  PostgreSQL database has been growing in popularity.

The constantly-falling cost of computer software may prove to be a challenge for Oracle

In the last five years, there's been a trend away from relational databases. As websites have gotten larger, programmers have found that traditional SQL database become a bottleneck — it's just not possible to organize data from hundreds of thousands of users into a single table.

To solve this problem, a new generation of database products don't organize data into regular tables at all. They use simpler storage techniques that make it easier to distribute data storage across thousands of servers. One downside of this technique is that the these programs don't support all the functions of SQL — for this reason, they're sometimes called "NoSQL databases" — but they allow websites like Facebook, Google, and Twitter to handling trillions of data points from hundreds of millions of users.

One of the most popular NoSQL databases is  MongoDB .

What challenges will Hurd and Catz face?

In the long run, the constantly-falling cost of computer software may prove to be a challenge for Oracle. The company made its fortune by selling its proprietary database product for thousands of dollars per customer. Many companies continue to do that — and will likely continue to do so for many years to come. But the increasing sophistication of free alternatives, not to mention the shift to non-SQL alternative models, is going to make it difficult to attract new customers.

Other parts of Oracle's business face similar challenges. A growing number of companies may choose to rent computing power from cloud computing services offered by Amazon or Microsoft instead of buying dedicated servers manufactured by Oracle's hardware division. The open source software company Red Hat offers a free operating system and other free software that serve the same purpose as many Oracle products.

Still, the stickiness of the corporate IT market means that Oracle is likely to enjoy healthy revenues for many years to come. Large companies need a ton of custom work done on their software, and they tend to turn to established brands like Oracle to do it. That will provide plenty of work for Oracle even if some of its product lines are commoditized.

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The largest yachts owned by tech billionaires, from Mark Zuckerberg to Jeff Bezos

• Megayachts have become a status symbol for the richest of the rich.
• In recent years, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have splurged on enormous boats.
• These are the biggest yachts owned by tech billionaires.

The average Joe celebrating a personal renaissance after, say, the end of a long-term relationship or when approaching a fresh decade might commemorate it with an ankle tattoo or a sports car. But if you're a billionaire, you may instead spend hundreds of millions on a yacht .

A few years after he and his wife divorced, Jeff Bezos shelled out on a megayacht. Last year, Bezos debuted the 127-meter vessel "Koru," a Māori symbol that signifies a fresh start — perhaps referring to that with his fiancée Lauren Sanchez.

Earlier this year, just before his 40th birthday, Mark Zuckerberg became the rumored owner of a yacht originally built for a Russian oligarch.

Superyachts have increasingly become ultrawealthy status symbols , providing highly secluded leisure and networking sites. They are — even more so than real estate — the single most expensive asset you can own.

"It's a bit of a celebration of your success in life, of wealth," Giovanna Vitelli, the chair of the Azimut Benetti Group, the world's biggest producer of superyachts, told Business Insider.

While many tech billionaires have bought yachts, the richest of the rich, like Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, have gone bigger. Their boats are virtual palaces at sea, decked with amenities like gyms, spas, pools, nightclubs, and movie theaters.

A look at these megayachts — broadly defined as over 70 meters long, mostly custom-built, and often costing nine figures — offers a glimpse into how the .00001% lives. It's something few others will ever get to experience. Even chartering a yacht of this size for a week typically costs upwards of $1 million.

One major thing that hundreds of millions of dollars can buy is privacy. There are likely yachts that have not been publicly recorded or registered — for example, Evan Spiegel is rumored to own the 94-meter megayacht Bliss. In an industry ruled by discretion , deciphering who owns what is typically an exercise in stringing together many clues.

Here are the largest yachts owned by tech billionaires, listed in order of length.

Jeff Bezos: Koru and Abeona

Amazon founder Bezos' $500 million megayacht, the 127-meter Koru, made a splash last year as she crisscrossed the Mediterranean in her first summer at sea, with her 75-meter support vessel Abeona in tow.

The sailing yacht, which is hard to miss thanks to her massive size and unique design, was host to Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez's famous friends . The couple held an engagement party on board, which reportedly drew guests including Bill Gates, Ari Emanuel, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Just a week later, they were seen on the streets of Dubrovnik, Croatia, with Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, and Usher.

Even before her completion, Koru made headlines. She drew the ire of some Dutch people, who vowed to hurl eggs after she was announced a historic bridge in Rotterdam might be taken apart to allow the Oceanco boat through. Luckily, the shipyard made alternative plans, and an egg crisis was averted.

Among yacht world insiders , Koru is widely praised for her craftsmanship.

"I heard back in 2018 or something that somebody had ordered a classic sailing yacht," one superyacht expert told BI. "You order 125 meters, that's not really going to be classic. But it is. I think it's pretty cool."

Mark Zuckerberg: Launchpad

Earlier this year, the yacht world was rife with rumors that Zuckerberg purchased Launchpad, a 118-meter superyacht originally designed for a sanctioned Russian businessman.

The ship made her maiden voyage in March, going from Gibraltar to St. Maarten and mooring in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Little is known about her interior, but photos show a large swimming pool and helipad. Her price, too, has been kept under wraps but is said to be nine figures.

Eric Schmidt: Whisper

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt made waves last year when he agreed to buy the Alfa Nero , the yacht of a sanctioned Russian oligarch, for $67 million in an auction conducted by Antigua and Barbuda. But he backed out of the deal following legal issues over her true owner. He quietly purchased Kismet instead. The 95-meter-long Lürssen-built boat was formerly owned by the Jacksonville Jaguar's billionaire owner Shahid Khan . Schmidt renamed her Whisper.

The ship can fit 12 guests and a crew of 28, according to Moran Yacht & Ship, which oversaw her construction. She features a master deck with a private jacuzzi, full-service spa, lap pool, movie theater, and outdoor fireplace.

While her final sale price was not public, she was listed for 149 million euros (about $161 million at current exchange rates), and at a charity auction in January, one week aboard the ship went for $2.4 million, according to industry outlet Yacht Charter Fleet.

Barry Diller: Eos

Barry Diller , the chairman of digital media company IAC, co-owns the megayacht Eos with his wife, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg , who is immortalized by a figurehead sculpture by Anh Duong.

One of the largest private sailing yachts in the world, the three-masted Lürssen schooner measures 93 meters long. She took three years to be built before being delivered to Diller in 2009, and since then, little has come to light about her interior and features.

The power couple has hosted many celebrities on the Eos, which spends her summers crisscrossing the Mediterranean and New Year ' s Eve in St. Barts . Over the years, guests have included Oprah Winfrey, Emma Thompson, Anderson Cooper, and Bezos, leading some to believe she provided inspiration for his Koru.

Jim Clark: Athena

Netscape founder Jim Clark purchased the 90-meter sailing yacht Athena in 2004.

"I could easily have built a 50- or 60-meter motor yacht that would have had the same space as Athena, but I was never really interested in building a motor yacht," he told Boat International in 2016. "To my eye, she's one of the most gorgeous large sailing yachts, maybe the most gorgeous large sailing yacht in the world."

Athena has room for 10 guests and 21 crewmembers, and the only change Clark says he'd make in her design is adding more space for his kids.

"If I was forced to change something, I would convert the office on the lower deck into a children's room," he said.

The former Stanford professor tried to sell her at various points — listing her for $95 million in 2012 , $69 million in 2016, and $59 million in 2017 — but she has yet to change hands.

Larry Ellison: Musashi

Oracle founder Larry Ellison has owned several superyachts over the years, including the Katana, the Ronin, and the Rising Sun — which he sold to fellow billionaire David Geffen .

He purchased his current boat, Musashi, in 2011 for a reported $160 million from custom-yacht giant Feadship.

Named after a famous samurai warrior, the 88-meter-long yacht has both Japanese and Art Deco-inspired design elements. She also boasts amenities including an elevator, swimming pool, beauty salon, gym, and basketball court.

Ellison is known for his extravagant spending — private islands, jets, a tennis tournament — and yachting is among his favorite and most expensive hobbies. He took up racing them in the 1990s and financed the America's Cup-winning BMW Oracle Racing team .

Laurene Powell Jobs: Venus

Steve Jobs' wife, investor and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, inherited a nearly finished 78-meter yacht named Venus when the Apple cofounder died in 2011.

After spending years vacationing on Ellison's yachts, Jobs wanted one for himself. He designed Venus with French starchitect and decorator Philippe Starck , and she was worth $130 million at completion.

"Venus comes from the philosophy of minimum," Starck said of her design. "The elegance of the minimum, approaching dematerialization."

Jobs and Starck began working together in 2007, the designer told Vanity Fair , and held monthly meetings over four years. Venus was delivered in 2012 to Jobs' specification: six identical cabins, a design to ensure spaces of absolute silence, and the most up-to-date technology.

"There will never again be a boat of that quality again. Because never again will two madmen come together to accomplish such a task," Starck told the magazine. "It was not a yacht that Steve and I were constructing, we were embarked on a philosophical action, implemented according to a quasi-religious process. We formed a single brain with four lobes."

Charles Simonyi: Norn

Early Microsoft employee Charles Simonyi has purchased two megayachts from the German shipyard Lürssen: the 90-meter Norn and 71-meter Skat.

Delivered in 2023, Norn is full of luxe features, including an outdoor cinema and a pool floor that lifts to become a light-up dancefloor. She shares a militaristic style with Skat , which Simonyi sold in 2021.

Skats's name is derived from the Danish word for treasure, and she had a listing price of 56.5 million euros and was launched in 2002.

"The yacht is to be home away from my home in Seattle, and its style should match the style of the house, adapted for the practicalities of the sea," Simonyi once said .

Sergey Brin: Dragonfly

Google cofounder Sergey Brin has built a flotilla of yachts, boats, and toys known as the "Fly Fleet."

Named after a once-secret Google product , the largest of Brin's armada is the sleek Dragonfly , which boasts a movie theater and a helipad. The 73-meter-long vessel was built by the Australian shipyard Silver Yachts and can fit up to 18 guests and 16 crew members, according to SuperYacht Times.

Also in his fleet is the superyacht Butterfly, a mere 38 meters long. Often moored in the Bay Area, her crewmembers spend their downtime kitesurfing and giving swimming lessons to local kids.

The rest of his marine lineup includes a smaller boat called Firefly, as well as Jet Skis, foilboards, dinghies, and kiteboards. She takes a team of 50 full-time employees to manage, steer, and maintain the entire operation.

Sindhu Sundar contributed to an earlier version of this story.

Correction: May 6, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated Giovanna Vitelli's title. She is the chair of the Azimut Benetti Group, not a vice president.

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Who is Ralph de la Torre? The CEO of Steward Health Care with a $40 million yacht

O nce a respected cardiac surgeon, Dr. Ralph de la Torre, chairman and CEO of Steward Health Care , has been publicly criticized for living a lavish lifestyle — owning not one but two yachts — while running his company into the ground.

De la Torre bought his $40-million yacht after Steward sold its hospital properties to Medical Trust Properties (MTP), a real-estate investment trust, in 2016 — a deal that resulted in a massive payday for executives while leaving the Steward-operated hospitals to face steep annual rents as they transitioned to being tenants under MTP’s ownership.

On Monday, those financial troubles came to a head when Steward filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy .

When de la Torre first started Steward in collaboration with Cerberus Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm, his self-described goal was to create an affordable approach to healthcare that served vulnerable populations.

Instead, doctors, nurses and elected officials have criticized the for-profit network for prioritizing their own profits over patient care.

Here’s everything you need to know about the man behind Steward's downfall.

6 jaw-dropping revelations Stunning takeaways from Steward Health Care's bankruptcy filing

Does Steward’s CEO have a $40 million-dollar yacht?

In February of this year, Boston Globe columnist Brian McGrory revealed that Steward’s CEO owns not one, but two yachts.

De la Torre bought the $40 million, 190-foot yacht named the "Amaral" a few years ago, according to McGrory’s reporting for the Globe . De la Torre's other yacht is a $15 million, 90-foot sport fishing boat named the ‘Jaruco.'

The Amaral is a massive, six-bedroom yacht that costs about $4 million a year to run, according to SuperYacht Fan .

What will happen to Good Sam? What to know about Steward Health Care amid bankruptcy, financial crisis

According to reporting by The American Prospect , Steward acquired at least two business jets and a private suite at Dallas’s AA Arena, where the NBA’s Mavericks play. 

Where did Ralph de la Torre work before Steward?

In 2008, de la Torre became the CEO of Caritas Christi Health Care, a struggling hospital network in Massachusetts. A few years later, he made a deal with Cerberus Capital Management to start Steward Health Care and invest money into struggling hospitals.

Is Ralph de la Torre a medical doctor?

De la Torre graduated from Duke University in 1988 and got his medical degree from a joint program between Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992, according to his biography.

Before his stint as CEO of Steward, he was the founder and CEO of the Cardiovascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Cardiovascular Management Associates, according to his biography on Steward’s website . He also worked as the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at BIDMC.

What is Ralph de la Torre’s salary?

According to reporting by The American Prospect , an individual familiar with Steward’s finances estimated he makes about $16 million per year.

In 2020, de la Torre bought Steward from Cerberus for $335 million, but with his own stake in the investment company, used Steward’s cash to pay himself a $100 million dividend, according to that same reporting.

Where does Ralph de la Torre live?

According to reporting by the Globe , de la Torre lives in a Dallas "mansion" and shares a neighborhood with former President George W. Bush and Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and longtime panelist on ABC's "Shark Tank."

When de la Torre was living in Boston, he lived in a seven-bedroom home in West Newton that he sold for more than $6 million in 2013, according to reporting by Boston.com .

Who is Ralph de la Torre’s wife?

According to reporting by the Globe , de la Torre met his first wife, Wing Cheung de la Torre, a native of Hong Kong while he was in medical school. They married in 2004 and had twin boys in 2008. In 2018, she filed for divorce.

He later remarried Nicole Acosta, a self-described real estate representative, according to the Globe.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Who is Ralph de la Torre? The CEO of Steward Health Care with a $40 million yacht