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Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,777
7,498
Los Angeles
The dispute seems to be related specifically to the cost of building the boat, with Starck claiming that the yacht was slated to cost EUR150 million while the Jobs family says that it only cost EUR105 million.
150€ vs. 105€? Stop picking on people just because they're dyslexic!
 

Shrink

macrumors G3
Feb 26, 2011
8,929
1,727
New England, USA
Very nice design, with Frank Lloyd Wright sensibilities.
More suitable design than the "mach 7 aerodynamics" of most recent superyachts.

Having seen, and visited, many Frank Lloyd Wright structures (homes, a church, and Taliesen), I guess I don't see the Wright design sensibilities in this thing.:confused:

Typical frenchie. Whinging because he's only getting paid €6,300,000 instead of €9,000,000.

Yeah, it's those greedy French folk. No open hearted, altruistic American designer/builder would ever complain about getting shorted 3.5 million dollars. The altruistic American would just walk away happy and never say a thing, unlike those "frenchies".

:rolleyes:
 

miknos

Suspended
Mar 14, 2008
940
793
I'm not familiar with design fees based on the construction price. Why Jobs didn't estimate a fixed price?
 
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osaga

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2012
454
170
I can't get over how ugly that thing is.

I think it's beautiful. Unlike any yacht ever produced, and is something that only jobs would have the means and design sense to have produced. It's a monument and a rare glimpse into steve's ego. That, and parking in handicap spots. (at least the one at apple)
 

diazj3

macrumors 6502a
Jan 19, 2008
879
135
Does anyone else think this seems odd? Jobs was a master at business negotiations and protecting Apple and yet he hires this guy to design his yacht with no formal contract?

And it's BECAUSE he was a master at "negotiations" and protecting his own interests, that he hired a guy with no formal contract... that way, once que job is complete, you can always force them to renegotiate and save some extra money on their backs... or bury them in court.

Would be nice if Apple would apply your logic with respect to it's own customers don't you think ? :)

exactly.

Europeans have the highest sense of entitlement that I've ever encountered.

yeah, right... Europeans do. Not Americans... and certainly not Apple and Steve Jobs! :p

I'm not familiar with design fees based on the construction price. Why Jobs didn't estimate a fixed price?

And don't worry too much. I don't think anybody here knows what the hell they're talking about when it comes to luxury yachts, luxury yacht design fees, luxury yacht construction costs or even european law applied to them.

cheers!
 
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firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,106
1,343
Silicon Valley
You don't make a million dollar deal without having a contract signed! I don't care if you are a minimalist!

That's only 0.1% of a billionaires worth. Similar in percentage scale to a normal working wage bloke saying he'll pay you back tomorrow for buying him that cup of coffee. No one signs a written contract for a cup of coffee, but the percentage is about the same.
 

9Speed

macrumors member
Jun 28, 2007
54
0
Phoenix, AZ
Would you be happy if you sold me a laptop for $900 then I only gave you $600?

He was paid for his service, not for a goods exchange. The designer had a verbal deal with Jobs. Jobs died. Designer continued to work without signing a contact with the estate holders to firmly establish his fee in writing. Cries when he doesn't get as much money as he thought he deserved.

I find it kinda hard to feel sorry for him.
 

raccoontail

macrumors regular
Jul 5, 2007
241
153
The designer is apparently such a minimalist he skipped getting a written contract, which would have kept this matter out of the news and saved a lot of legal fees.

I'm surprised the French government hasn't gotten involved, as that's where most of the fee will go. If the fee is paid in 2013, as a french national, Starck will likely face a 75% tax rate :eek:
 

alhedges

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2008
395
0
It doesn't matter that there was an oral contract, since no one seems to be challenging either the existence or the terms of the contract. Everyone seems to agree that there was a contract and that the contract called for 6% of the cost. The only dispute is how much the yacht actually cost to build, and a contract wouldn't help resolve that issue.
 

diazj3

macrumors 6502a
Jan 19, 2008
879
135
It doesn't matter that there was an oral contract, since no one seems to be challenging either the existence or the terms of the contract. Everyone seems to agree that there was a contract and that the contract called for 6% of the cost. The only dispute is how much the yacht actually cost to build, and a contract wouldn't help resolve that issue.

Actually, it would, if the contract stated the projected cost as the basis of the design fee calculation, or if it stated such calculation as the minimal fee to be paid.

But either way... who cares!

cheers!
 
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