--- title: "Activists Plaster New Name on Larry Ellison’s Superyacht" description: "A group of seaworthy activists made headlines over the weekend after christening tech billionaire Larry Ellison's private megayacht with a new name." date: "2026-03-31" modified: "2026-03-31" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/larry-ellison-yacht-protest" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" --- # Activists Plaster New Name on Larry Ellison’s Superyacht ![Three people on a small white motorboat are applying a large white banner with orange text to the side of a larger white boat.]() *Led By Donkeys via YouTube* A group of seaworthy activists made headlines over the weekend after christening tech billionaire Larry Ellison's private megayacht with a new name. Sailing up to the [$160 million yacht]() as it sat moored at a storage dock in the French Riviera, the four activists quickly set about plastering the hull with a massive decal reading "The Trump Propagandist" in bright gold lettering. The political action group, called Led By Donkeys, released the footage as part of a campaign to protest Ellison's outsized influence over media and politics. The yacht is "called the Musashi, but not for long — because we're about to rename it," the clip states. (Ellison [previously made headlines]() for renaming that a former yacht when he realized its name spelled "I'm a nazi" backward.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCJ5sxpcsNU Ellison has [spent millions of dollars]() campaigning for right-wing politicians and political initiatives through his AI-cloud company, Oracle. He was [recently appointed]() to Donald Trump's newly formed "Council of Advisors on Science and Technology," which includes other tech moguls like Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, and Jensen Huang. "He's a big Donald Trump supporter, and a close friend of Benjamin Netanyahu," Led By Donkeys declares in their video, as Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" soars in the background. "Trump recently handed Ellison control of TikTok in the US. Almost immediately, prominent pro-Palestinian voices were silenced. Last year, the Ellisons bought Paramount, giving them control over CBS news. The channels coverage on Iran has been notably pro-war, and the Ellisons will soon take over Warner Brothers, giving them control of CNN." "And that is why we've renamed this superyacht 'The Trump Propagandist," the clip concludes. "The billionaires are buying up the news to support their friends, the politicians pitching our world into chaos and war. Then they jump on their superyachts, accountable to nobody." **More on protests:** *[Protesters Stage Unsettling Demonstration in Front of Palantir’s Office]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()