The superyacht Venus, owned by Steve Jobs, was seized before its inaugural voyage in the port of Amsterdam due to a legal dispute with the ship’s designer, Philippe Starck, who claimed that he was not paid what was agreed for his work on the project.
Starck, who informally worked with Jobs for more than five years on the design of the yacht, claimed 6% of the total cost of the boat as compensation, a figure that became a point of conflict after the death of Apple’s co-founder in 2011.
The ship cost less than expected and that harmed the designer
The prior agreement between Jobs and Starck was characterized by mutual trust, which led to the absence of a detailed contract specifying the terms of compensation.
This aspect became problematic when the actual cost of Venus turned out to be significantly lower than the initial budget, which affected the compensation that Starck expected to receive.
While the estimated cost of the yacht was 150 million euros, its final price rose to 105 million, which reduced the designer’s commission from 9 million to approximately 6 million, creating a noticeable disagreement between the parties.
In the absence of an agreement, Starck facilitated the yacht’s detention by court order until the debt was resolved, which caught the media’s attention and delayed the inaugural voyage of the Venus.
However, the conflict was resolved quickly, although the details of the financial agreement were not revealed. The heirs of Jobs agreed to make a payment to Starck, and the yacht was released to sail.
With a length of 80 meters, Venus is an example of advanced design, equipped with Apple technology, including a command bridge with seven iMacs. Since its delivery, the superyacht has been under the ownership of Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs.