The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is meeting a star-studded group of tech and media CEOs this week, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin and CEO Sundar Pichai; Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz; and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson. A visit with Apple CEO Tim Cook is planned next.
Photos: The Saudi Crown Prince met with tech VIPs this week in Silicon Valley, including Sergey Brin and Magic Leap’s CEO
Up next: Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Shirin Ghaffary was a senior Vox correspondent covering the social media industry. Previously, Ghaffary worked at BuzzFeed News, the San Francisco Chronicle, and TechCrunch.
During the Crown Prince’s trip to Google’s Mountain View HQ, leaders reportedly discussed the establishment of an R&D and training center for Saudi youth and “enhancing cooperation in cybersecurity,” according to Saudi state news channel Al Arabiya. There was also a photo op. A Google rep confirmed the visit but declined to comment further.
As Recode previously reported, the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known by his initials MBS, was suspected to have booked out the entire Four Seasons Silicon Valley for his delegation — and met with protestors outside about the Saudi Arabian’s government’s military action in Yemen.
The Crown Prince’s renewed interest in the tech sector comes as part of his effort to reduce Saudi dependency on the oil industry, as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan. And while the young prince is progressive on social issues by Saudi standards and is making efforts at reform, his government is still under scrutiny for its restrictive policies toward women and other groups.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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