--- title: "Cofounder of Doomed Titanic Sub Says Tragic Implosion Has Amplified His Drive" description: "OceanGate cofounder Guillermo Söhnlein recently implied we should celebrate CEO Stockton Rush's legacy, following his death one year ago." date: "2024-06-17" modified: "2024-06-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cofounder-titanic-sub-amplified-drive" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "oceangate" - "submersibles" - "the digest" - "titanic" --- # Cofounder of Doomed Titanic Sub Says Tragic Implosion Has Amplified His Drive ![OceanGate cofounder Guillermo Söhnlein recently implied we should celebrate CEO Stockton Rush's legacy, following his death one year ago.]() *\Image: OceanGate\* ## Death Day We're less than a week away from the first anniversary of the crew of five on board the OceanGate submersible [being declared dead]() after embarking on a daring mission to visit the wreck of the Titanic 13,000 feet under the surface. And while OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was amongst the deceased, the controversial company's cofounder Guillermo Söhnlein's desire to continue exploring the deepest depths of our planet continues, as [*Business Insider* reports](). Despite Rush's long-documented [web of lies]() and [disregard]() for [safety precautions](), Söhnlein believes tragedies are "just part of the exploration experience," as he recently told *BI,* and should serve as motivation to push on. "I think in a paradoxical kind of way, that drive to keep going is amplified," he added. "And I think in large part, it's because you want to make sure that your colleagues, who lost their lives, didn't lose their lives in vain. You want their death to mean something, and you want their legacies to live on." ## Tarnished Legacy Söhnlein, a wealthy submersible pilot and scuba diver, cofounded the OceanGate Foundation with Rush in 2009 and left in 2013. He still has a [minority stake]() in the company but has since started his own expedition company, Blue Marble Exploration. He also wants to send [1,000 people to a floating colony on Venus](). Söhnlein never mentioned having any regrets about the tragedy during his interview with *BI,* and characterized OceanGate as a way to make exploring the ocean's depths more accessible to people who aren't ultra-wealthy or specialized researchers. However, the many missteps leading up to Rush's tragic death are still coming to light just under a year later, casting a huge shadow on his tarnished legacy. OceanGate quietly [suspended]() all operations weeks after the tragedy. Last week, [*Wired* published a shocking investigation]() about the company's inner workings, with a trove of emails, documents, and photographs revealing a "company culture in which employees who questioned their bosses’ high-speed approach and decisions were dismissed as overly cautious or even fired." Söhnlein refused to comment on the *Wired* report to *BI*, but admitted to having read it. Given Söhnlein's financial interest in commercial ocean exploration, his remarks shouldn't come as a surprise. But is Rush's legacy really worth celebrating, given the many mistakes and hubris that eventually broke the camel's back? Considering how many experts [repeatedly warned]() him of the risks, it's unlikely everybody will agree. **More on OceanGate:** *[Oh No! Yet Another Billionaire Plans to Visit the Titanic Wreck]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()