Ryan Knutson

Meanwhile, construction on Neom continues. Head over to Google Maps and click toward the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia, and you'll see it, an over 60-mile-long gash cutting through the desert. It's a trench marking the future path of the line. The current plan is for Neom to finish the first mile and a half of the line in the next 10 years or so.

The rest probably won't be completed for decades, if ever. Even within Neom, people worry that that 60-mile trench is a literal money pit. Performative progress leading to nowhere. MBS once said that he wanted to build his pyramids. Only time will tell whether it's a monument to a young leader's vision or his failed ambition.

The rest probably won't be completed for decades, if ever. Even within Neom, people worry that that 60-mile trench is a literal money pit. Performative progress leading to nowhere. MBS once said that he wanted to build his pyramids. Only time will tell whether it's a monument to a young leader's vision or his failed ambition.

The rest probably won't be completed for decades, if ever. Even within Neom, people worry that that 60-mile trench is a literal money pit. Performative progress leading to nowhere. MBS once said that he wanted to build his pyramids. Only time will tell whether it's a monument to a young leader's vision or his failed ambition.

Before we go, I just want to say that this will be my last Journal episode for a while. I'm going out on paternity leave through the summer, but I'll be back on the show this fall. See you then. That's all for today, Saturday, April 26th. The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal. This episode was produced by Annie Minoff and edited by Catherine Brewer.

Before we go, I just want to say that this will be my last Journal episode for a while. I'm going out on paternity leave through the summer, but I'll be back on the show this fall. See you then. That's all for today, Saturday, April 26th. The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal. This episode was produced by Annie Minoff and edited by Catherine Brewer.

Before we go, I just want to say that this will be my last Journal episode for a while. I'm going out on paternity leave through the summer, but I'll be back on the show this fall. See you then. That's all for today, Saturday, April 26th. The Journal is a co-production of Spotify and The Wall Street Journal. This episode was produced by Annie Minoff and edited by Catherine Brewer.

I'm Ryan Knudsen. Additional reporting in this episode by Stephen Kalin and Summer Saeed. Fact-checking by Kate Gallagher. Sound design and mixing by Griffin Tanner. Music in this episode by Emma Munger, Griffin Tanner, and Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by So Wiley and remixed by Griffin Tanner. Special thanks to Alex Frangos, Kate Lambaugh, Laura Morris, Sarah Platt, and Tatiana Zamise.

I'm Ryan Knudsen. Additional reporting in this episode by Stephen Kalin and Summer Saeed. Fact-checking by Kate Gallagher. Sound design and mixing by Griffin Tanner. Music in this episode by Emma Munger, Griffin Tanner, and Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by So Wiley and remixed by Griffin Tanner. Special thanks to Alex Frangos, Kate Lambaugh, Laura Morris, Sarah Platt, and Tatiana Zamise.

I'm Ryan Knudsen. Additional reporting in this episode by Stephen Kalin and Summer Saeed. Fact-checking by Kate Gallagher. Sound design and mixing by Griffin Tanner. Music in this episode by Emma Munger, Griffin Tanner, and Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by So Wiley and remixed by Griffin Tanner. Special thanks to Alex Frangos, Kate Lambaugh, Laura Morris, Sarah Platt, and Tatiana Zamise.

Thanks for listening. See you Monday.

Thanks for listening. See you Monday.

Thanks for listening. See you Monday.

It was 2017 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Inside the conference hall of a splashy hotel, Fox business host Maria Bartiromo was kicking off Saudi Arabia's big investor conference, sometimes called Davos in the Desert. Gathered beneath glittering chandeliers were the movers and shakers of the business world. They were there to witness a historic announcement.

It was 2017 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Inside the conference hall of a splashy hotel, Fox business host Maria Bartiromo was kicking off Saudi Arabia's big investor conference, sometimes called Davos in the Desert. Gathered beneath glittering chandeliers were the movers and shakers of the business world. They were there to witness a historic announcement.

It was 2017 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Inside the conference hall of a splashy hotel, Fox business host Maria Bartiromo was kicking off Saudi Arabia's big investor conference, sometimes called Davos in the Desert. Gathered beneath glittering chandeliers were the movers and shakers of the business world. They were there to witness a historic announcement.

Addressing his audience in Arabic, Saudi Arabia's young leader, MBS as he's known, unveiled plans for a place he called Neom.

Addressing his audience in Arabic, Saudi Arabia's young leader, MBS as he's known, unveiled plans for a place he called Neom.

Addressing his audience in Arabic, Saudi Arabia's young leader, MBS as he's known, unveiled plans for a place he called Neom.

Neom was a futuristic new city that Saudi Arabia would build from scratch in the middle of the desert. A flashy video drove the idea home.