The story behind Steve Jobs’ $120 million Venus superyacht
Published on Jul 11, 2023 at 12:16 PM (UTC+4)
by Adam Gray
Last updated on Jul 11, 2023 at 5:14 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
One of the most striking superyachts ever built has been shrouded in secrecy since her inception.
But with a famous name attached to the project, she was bound to garner attention.
The Venus superyacht is a fully custom creation, built for the late Apple founder Steve Jobs.
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Sadly, Jobs never had the chance to set foot on board before his untimely death in 2011, the year before the superyacht launched.
Venus remains in the family, now owned by his widow Laurene Powell Jobs.
This yacht isn’t only interesting because of its owner, Venus’s exterior profile is also incredibly unique.
Measuring 256 feet (78.2 meters), the exterior is dominated by a striking silver paint job, gleaming stainless-steel details, and a line of rectangular windows.
Built by Feadship and designed by Philippe Starck, she is long and lean, with an 11.8 meter beam and a low-slung superstructure made entirely of glass.
Starck designed Venus’ exterior with straight lines and 90-degree angles.
She has an axe bow, and an unusal flat, squared stern, which opens to reveal a tender garage.
The long forward deck, planked in teak, is completely free of clutter.
Notably, she has no visible radar arch or satellite equipment; all of this is hidden within a box to keep Venus’s exterior extremely clean.
Venus’s minimalist style, reminiscent of Apple products, extends to the interior, where multiple Mac computer screens line the bridge windows.
Other than glimpses into the bridge, the Venus superyacht’s interior has never been seen publicly.
It was never offered for charter or presented at trade shows, but Feadship did reveal that it has six suites offering accommodation for 12 guests, and separate quarters for 22 crew.
According to Styarck himself, the rooms are completely sound-proof and isolated from one another, so that no noise ever goes through.
Instead, guests rely on a high-tech internal communication system to communicate.
“Think Different” has been Apple’s longtime slogan, and it’s clear Jobs wanted to create something amazingly different with his iconic Venus superyacht.
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Adam Gray is an experienced freelance motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for a variety of lifestyle and business publications. Here at Supercar Blondie, Adam applies his journalistic skills penning social-first content around current news and trends. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car or writing up another viral story, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or at the Riverside Stadium supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.
