Steve Jobs' $120M superyacht features rare element that proves he was a stickler for perfection
- Steve Jobs was hands-on designing his $120m Superyacht Venus
- The tech legend insisted on one rare element though
- And it saved Feadship from being sued for six-figure sums
Published on Jun 01, 2025 at 12:22 AM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on May 29, 2025 at 4:36 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
Tech legend Steve Jobs once insisted on a rare element on his $120M superyacht Venus, and his perfectionist personality saved Feadship from an expensive lawsuit.
You don’t get to the status that Steve Jobs did without having a keen eye for the fine details.
But whether it’s masterminding the iPhone and redefining the entire music industry with the iTunes streaming service, or getting hands-on with the tiny architectural details in yacht design, Jobs left no stone unturned.
The latter point saw the fabled tech legend ask for one small detail to be added to his 256-foot superyacht, which could have saved Feadship from a lawsuit.
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Jobs notoriously had a keen eye for detail when it came to his vehicles.
He once famously found a contractual loophole to get a free new Porsche every six months.
But his true passion for travel wasn’t his modest car collection but rather a colossal superyacht that he was helping design for himself alongside Feadship and Philippe Starck.
The meticulous Silicon Valley expert made sure that every fine detail was correct on Venus as he assisted in its creation, down to the wooden craftsmanship and the sustainable materials used.
And it’s here where Jobs’ meticulous nature shone the brightest, saving Feadship from an expensive legal battle.

At the time of its creation, many yachts were being decked out with Myanmar teak (a controversial material for environmental and ethical reasons).
However, Jobs reportedly insisted that the Venus should have high-quality poplar wood from León, Spain, instead.
Given the yacht’s outlandishly futuristic exterior design, the interior option is often an oversight, but Jobs’ firm foot on this subject was actually a stroke of genius – again.
Similarly, the eccentric $500 million yacht, Koru, designed for Jeff Bezos, used teak wood sourced from Myanmar, and it was deemed illegal by the European Timber Regulation.
The Dutch shipyard Oceanco was fined $158,000, an unwanted lawsuit that was avoided in Feadship’s case thanks to Jobs’ precision.

Unfortunately, Steve Jobs never had the privilege of using the final product, as the yacht was unveiled in full a year after his passing.
Once a fierce rival and later a dear friend, Bill Gates revealed that using the ship was one of the last things on Jobs’ bucket list.
At least this incredibly smart thinking keeps Jobs’ legacy strong.
Still, his family took ownership of the vessel, and it remains in their possession to this day.
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