French Designer Philippe Starck Reveals Real Story Behind Steve Jobs’ Yacht

French designer Philippe Starck was rumoured to be working with Apple on a ‘revolutionary’ product back in spring of 2012, a rumour the company denied as it turned out to be the yacht ‘Venus’ for Steve Jobs instead.

In a new exclusive interview with Vanity Fair in France (via Mac4Ever), Starck shares details of how he got started with Jobs in designing the super modern yacht Venus.

According to the loose Google Translation, anecdotes shared include the following:

  • When Steve Jobs called Starck’s Paris office seven years ago, his receptionist denied transferring the call over to the designer. Jobs had to call back twice.
  • When Jobs did get through the second time, he asked the designer if he would design a yacht for him, which Starck said yes. The conversation took ‘fifteen seconds’.
  • The yacht was designed with design sessions between the two from April 2007 to fall of 2011, taking place in meetings in California.
  • Starck says no boat will ever meet the quality of the Venus, as “two fools” will never work together on such a project again.

The translation of the following paragraph point to the French designer being disappointed with how the entire project worked out:

Yet the French designer disillusioned. Syndrome “distortion of reality”, which grows Jobs in appropriating the ideas claimed by Starck, or financial conflict with Laurene, widow of Apple boss left a bitter taste in designer: “There will no longer never boat that quality. Because two fools never will do together to perform such work, “claims Stark, with a little excitement. Neither he nor Steve Jobs never saw Venus navigate.

This isn’t the first time Starck gave an interview regarding the Jobs yacht, as in the fall of 2012 he shed details with the SuperYacht Times.

The super yacht ‘Venus’ was seized by French authorities over unpaid monies to Starck but eventually freed, as there was a discrepancy over the amount to be paid based on Jobs’ estate and what the designer agreed upon with the Apple co-founder before his death.

YouTube video

The full interview and details can be found in the September issue of Vanity Fair in France.

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