--- title: "CEO Who Said Safety Is a “Waste” on Board Lost Submarine" description: "FAFO The old \"fuck around and find out\" adage appears to be in full play when it comes to the lost Titanic-seeking submarine, which, as it turns out, is host to a CEO who suggested that safety might be a \"waste\" of time. In a statement provided to NBC News and other outlets, OceanGate Expeditions confirmed […]" date: "2023-06-20" modified: "2023-06-22" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/titanic-submarine-ceo-safety-waste" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "submarine" - "the digest" - "titanic" --- # CEO Who Said Safety Is a “Waste” on Board Lost Submarine ![]() *\Image: OceanGate Expeditions\* ## Aged Like Milk *Update: OceanGate [has announced]() that it believes the crew of five "have sadly been lost."* In a twist of irony, the CEO behind the company that operates the [lost Titanic-seeking submarine]() is also a crew member on board the missing vessel. In a [statement provided to *NBC News*]() and other outlets, OceanGate Expeditions confirmed that its CEO, Stockton Rush, is also on board the Titan submersible that went missing on Sunday while traveling to explore the Titanic wreckage 13,000 feet below the surface. As the clock keeps ticking and the sub continues to run out of air — that is, if the crew is still alive — some incriminating details about Rush and his company are coming to light. As [*Insider* noted](), the CEO [told a *CBS* reporter last year]() that he believes there should be "limits" to safety precautions. "You know, at some point, safety is just pure waste," Rush told *CBS*' David Pogue during an episode of his "Unsung Science" podcast. "I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk-reward question." "I think I can do this just as safely while breaking the rules," he added at the time. ## Get Lost Pogue has since noted that after he climbed aboard the Titan last summer for his podcast, the vessel was "[lost for a few hours]()" then, too. The reporter also found that the company seemingly made use of "[off-the-shelf components]()" such as a cheap video game controller, for its submarine. And the drama surrounding OceanGate doesn't end there, either. Earlier today, [*The Daily Beast* reported]() that Rush was sued for fraud in Florida earlier this year after a wealthy couple claimed he never refunded them for a journey they never embarked on back in 2017. As *NBC* notes, OceanGate's confirmation that Rush is aboard the missing vessel means that we now know the identities of all but one of the five-person crew: the CEO, British billionaire and aviation company owner Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and Dawood's son, Suleman. Given that this is a steadily changing story, there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered — but knowing what we know now, spending [$250,000]() a ticket to see the Titanic wreckage may not have been the best investment. **More on the lost Titan:** [*The Lost Submarine's Comms Are Reportedly Run by SpaceX*]() ## 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]()