SEATTLE — A massive superyacht reportedly linked to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg drew crowds, cameras and criticism in Seattle this week after the company announced Mass layoffs in Washington state.
The nearly 400-foot-long yacht, named “Launchpad,” arrived in Seattle waters on Tuesday and quickly became a spectacle on South Lake Union, with people walking and biking along the boardwalk stopping to photograph the vessel and watch as crews cleaned it from top to bottom.
“I think it’s a little insensitive,” Nimi Simon said. “A little bit means a lot.”
Ocean tracking data shows the yacht has visited Seattle-area waters multiple times this year, including several stops in March and January. The ship remained anchored in Seattle on Wednesday.
The timing of the yacht’s arrival sparked debate online after Meta confirmed that about 1,400 jobs would be laid off in Washington state. The cuts include 699 positions in Bellevue, 259 positions in Seattle, 206 positions in Redmond and 231 remote positions statewide.
Some people who gathered near the yacht said they saw it as a tourist attraction. Others questioned the appearance of a ship linked to a billionaire arriving amid layoffs in Seattle’s tech industry.
Others described the yacht as “swaggering” or compared seeing it on Lake Union to seeing luxury boats in Miami.
Some people said they first learned the yacht was in Seattle through Reddit posts and online photos before coming to see it in person.
One man said the boat was the largest yacht he had ever seen on Lake Union.
Seattle University economist Nick Huntington Klein said the layoffs could have broader economic impacts across the Seattle region, as high-paying tech jobs help support restaurants, retail stores and other local businesses.
“Especially in Bellevue, about half of the layoffs are happening in smaller areas,” Huntington-Klein said. “You can see those impacts happening most directly and quickly.”
Meta said the layoffs are part of a broader restructuring related to artificial intelligence and the company’s restructuring.
There has been no public confirmation that Zuckerberg is in Seattle. He does not appear to be on the yacht.
