Tech billionaire forced to rename superyacht after realizing its name spelled “I’m a Nazi” backwards

A very rich tech billionaire accidentally named his superyacht something embarrassing. The billionaire is Larry Ellison, the cofounder of Oracle and one of the richest people in the world, as stated by Futurism. Ellison is the head of a powerful media and entertainment family, often compared to the TV show Succession. He has six children who are all closely tied to his business world and future legacy.

His eldest son, David Ellison, gave up an acting career and is set to take over Paramount Skydance, a company worth about $13.3 billion, as reported by Futurism. A recent Vulture profile said Larry Ellison is not very strong when it comes to paying attention to small details. Ellison recently bought a huge 191-foot superyacht after spending tens of millions of dollars on a Florida safari park.

Larry Ellison superyacht

The yacht was actually smaller than his old one, which was 288 feet long. Ellison named the yacht “Izanami,” inspired by a female creator deity from Japanese Shinto mythology. Izanami is known in mythology as a goddess connected to both creation and death. The problem started when Ellison was told that the name “Izanami,” when spelled backwards, reads “I’m a Nazi”.

Yacht name controversy

After realizing this, Ellison was forced to change the yacht’s name. The mistake was especially awkward because Ellison and his family have strong ties to Israel. Ellison’s first wife once described him as an “ardent Zionist,” according to Vulture. He has also been described as being close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The yacht name story quickly spread online and sparked jokes and reactions on social media. Podcast host Rob Pasbani joked on X, saying the story felt like it came straight out of Succession, as stated by Futurism. Some social media users said they were tired of hearing about ultra-rich people making strange mistakes.

One Reddit user wrote, “I am so tired, y’all,” reacting to the story. Another Reddit user joked that reality feels fake, saying, “We must be in a simulation”, as cited by Futurism. The incident has become a viral example of how even the richest people can make very public and very awkward errors.

FAQs

Q1. Why did Larry Ellison change his yacht’s name?

Because the yacht’s name, when read backwards, formed an offensive phrase, which caused public embarrassment.

Q2. What does the name Izanami mean?

Izanami is a figure from Japanese mythology known as a goddess linked to creation and death.