JEFF BEZOS: Half-Billion Dollar Yacht

Your annual Amazon Prime membership fee is helping to pay for Jeff Bezos’s playthings. His most recent purchase is a custom-built superyacht worth half a billion dollars.

Jeff’s ship, which will launch next month, is longer than a football field. At 417 feet, the yacht has multiple decks, including a helicopter pad and a “support yacht.” Few destinations can handle a yacht this size. It must anchor out of port. Passengers are transported to land by either the “support yacht” or helicopter.

The superyacht market is booming thanks to the pandemic. Currently, a German shipbuilder has 50 boats under construction that are longer than 300 feet. The uber-wealthy are traveling internationally and socializing on their luxury yachts far from scrutiny.

Director Steven Spielberg reportedly has a superyacht on order. His is just a tugboat next to Bezos’s, though. Spielberg paid about $160 million for his yacht. (Bloomberg)