--- title: "Friend of OceanGate CEO Says Sub Was a “Mousetrap for Billionaires”" description: "In a bonkers interview, a friend of the late OceanGate CEO made outlandish statements that seemed to accuse him of gross negligence." date: "2023-07-19" modified: "2023-07-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/oceangate-ceo-friend-interview" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "oceangate" - "submersibles" - "the digest" - "titanic" --- # Friend of OceanGate CEO Says Sub Was a “Mousetrap for Billionaires” ![In a bonkers interview, a friend of the late OceanGate CEO made outlandish statements that seemed to accuse him of gross negligence.]() *AT SEA - (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â" MANDATORY CREDIT - " OCEANGATE/ HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) An undated photo shows tourist submersible belongs to OceanGate begins to descent at a sea. Search and rescue operations continue by US Coast Guard in Boston after a tourist submarine bound for the Titanic's wreckage site went missing off the southeastern coast of Canada. (Photo by Becky Kagan Schott / Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images\* ## Sub Standard In a bonkers interview with the Australian version of "60 Minutes," a sub operator purporting to be a friend of the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush made a bunch of outlandish statements that seemed to accuse the deceased of gross negligence — if not outright knowing the sub was doomed to catastrophically fail. "I think Stockton was designing a mousetrap for billionaires," tourist sub operator [Karl Stanley told "60 Minutes Australia"]() as part of that show's investigation into the [Titan submersible's tragic implosion]() earlier this year. Stanley told the Australian broadcaster that he'd previously gone on the Titan with Rush during its maiden test voyage back in 2019 and tried to warn him of the issues they encountered down below. "I would say every three to four minutes there \[were\] loud gunshot-like noises," he said. "It's a heck of a sound to hear when you're that far under the ocean. And \[in\] a craft that has only been down that deep once before." https://twitter.com/burncoryburn/status/1681062552548302848 ## Hear No Evil Though the Bahamas-based sub operator says he warned Rush repeatedly that he thought the [Titan's carbon fiber hull]() was breaking down and "only going to get worse," his concerns about what he called an "inevitable" tragedy were ignored like [those raised by so many others](). "He definitely knew it was going to end like this," Stanely said. "Who was the last person to murder two billionaires at once and have them pay for the privilege?" While some of his rhetoric in the interview tended towards hyperbole — "he quite literally and figuratively went out with the biggest bang in human history that you could go out with" is another particularly choice quote — Stanley's comments are nevertheless chilling. In an industry built on adventure, some dramaticism is expected — though in the case of the Titan, it appears that the hysterics were more than warranted. **More on OceanGate-gate:** [*Yacht Broker Attempting to Sell Leftover OceanGate Submersible*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()