Neom: An Update on the World's Most Ridiculous City (It's Still Ridiculous...)

Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Enter promo code MEGA for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/Mega
Got a beard? Good. I've got something for you: beardblaze.com
Simon's Social Media:
Twitter: / simonwhistler
Instagram: / simonwhistler
This video is #sponsored by Surfshark.
Love content? Check out Simon's other KZbin Channels:
Warographics: / @warographics643
SideProjects: / @sideprojects
Into The Shadows: / intotheshadows
Today I Found Out: / todayifoundout
Highlight History: / @highlighthistory
Brain Blaze: / @brainblaze6526
Casual Criminalist: / thecasualcriminalist
Decoding the Unknown: / @decodingtheunknown2373
Places: / @places302
Astrographics: / @astrographics-ve4yq

[@megaprojects9649]

Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Enter promo code MEGA for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/Mega

[@danthevanman294]

Don't waste your money!! The only thing surfshark does is slow down your internet connection for no reason. It's not worth paying real money and getting negative consequences for "peace of mind". No one is hacking you. You don't need a VPN.

[@JB-yb4wn]

You still alive after the first NEOM video? I guess you didn't go to Turkey.

[@kingayman5225]

Fun fact, VPNs don’t work on android, just not possible, it is not “safe”

[@Barry.ONeill]

Do you live in Cezchia ? Thats what youtube says 😂

[@flashgordon6670]

They’ll make Solar energy and make glass and silicone from all their sand. They can also threaten the major global routes to extort protection money and are perfectly located at the centre of the world’s land mass. They have lots of other minerals and exotic things like Frankincense and Myrrh. They can desalinate seawater, to make freshwater and salt to sell. They’re the epicentre of Islam and so will always have pilgrims bringing wealth in and the trades and crafts related with a religion. They have many friends around the world and few enemies and are increasing their higher educated citizens with every generation. They’re investing in their future and will expand exponentially with every passing year. Saudi Arabia has more going for it than most countries and should be the least of our worries. Yes they’ve got some wacky ideas, but if you’re a US Asylum citizen, then you should take a good look in the mirror. Look at the trillions that you’ve wasted going into Space, on military might and investing in future destruction, while half the population of Earth starves to death and from easily curable diseases. Look at all your health problems with morbid obesity, pill munching and your self obsessed consumerism. Just take a good look at all the materialistic crap you waste and pamper yourselves with. Body implants, plastic surgery, body reforming, sculpting and make up. Just look at all your crazy motorsports burning up the atmosphere and your whole sports, wrestling and bloodsports industry and all your gambling and casinos. Just look at all your strip clubs, prostitution and porn industry. Just look at all the trillions in the music and entertainment business. With all your disposable throwaway idols that people pour their money and lives into, only to fall down and worship the next false god and the next and next. Just look at all the BS and torrents of crap that goes into your brains each day, from fake news, propaganda and pop chat culture. Just look at all your electrical devices, gadgets and computers, piling mountains at landfills and scrapyards. Just look at all your Pollution, litter and cancerous cells. Just look at all your social woes and unrest. Just look at all your failed marriages, relationships and abortion, and all your sexual perversions. Just look at all your tobacco products, alcohol and drug problems. Just put your head in all your own shit for a moment first, before you go around judging everyone else.

[@JamesSymmonds]

Simon, if you get an invitation to a Saudi embassy, don't go.

[@dnomyarnostaw]

Embassy ? I'd be looking for very clean typical sedans with very dark window tinting parked outside the house. "Do you remember Don Luigi ?" "Oh yeah. Kind old man who used to pay me $5 every morning to start his car"

[@toddai2721]

I would try to find a really good plastic surgeon and get a new identity... maybe Samuel Jackson esque. Goes well with the bald look.

[@ald1144]

Came here to say that. Simon will be the new Salman Rushdie.

[@larryscott3982]

@@ald1144 Beat me to it

[@Darth001]

There more than likely to put him up in a lush hotel and show him the project first hand and pay him to promote it like a lot of countrys china, uae etc do to other KZbinrs.

[@somewhat.random]

I have a friend who is Saudi. We talked about NEOM and he put it like this: "Neom will serve it's purpose perfectly well. That purpose isn't to be a city with people living in it, but rather to get a lot of money moving around. Ending with a lot of money in the hands of the people intended to get that money. I suspect it will work very well at this."

[@johnnyonthespot4375]

Your Friend is a scary wise man when it comes to how things work there ~

[@IAmWithinEverything]

A massive money laundering event

[@michaeldowson6988]

Some version of greenwashing perhaps? Boycotting investors of petroleum scares some corporations.

[@KaitoverMoon]

So basically the rich get richer, look like idiots while doing it, and have a random wall of cement and glass in the middle of the desert with no running water nor sewage system. Truly a billionaire's paradise.

[@peterdore2572]

After seeing this, I think that Saudi Arabia is a Backwards Tribe of Men (with Enslaved Women) who can get fooled by "Giant Phallus" ideas, like Neom. Sorry. I hope to be proven to be the Idiot. I know, for sure, that if Women worked on this Project, Neom would be CANCELLED from the Start, instead of, after investing BILLION$...😢

[@Phoenix0F8]

My favorite part of Neom is when they said the birds would fly through the "specifically designed migration paths" instead of smacking into the gigantic blazing mirror they'd plopped down in the desert. because birds are well known for following human instructions, like that time we told them to shit all over everything we ever placed outside.

[@rayswartz3378]

The Bird Representative (a chicken) was at the planning meeting! When we took the vote on the migration paths the Bird Representative said 'cluck', so it was unanimous! They agreed to it! After the meeting we voted on what to have for lunch - the Bird Representative said 'cluck' to the vote was unanimous. We had chicken.

[@Xhumed]

In hindsight, telling them to shit all over everything we put outside was a mistake.

[@rembourne]

🤣😂

[@onyedikachukwumiracle]

🎉😂😂😂😂

[@Abbyravenclaw92]

Who said that

[@jamesanderson2176]

How many sci-fi disasters can you name that begin with a fully enclosed Utopian civilization ruled by an incredibly advanced computer?

[@YouPlay1313]

4 or 0, not sure

[@stringlarson1247]

I can't count that high.

[@NS-cs3wp]

Literally all of them

[@rickybuhl3176]

Honestly, at this rate they'll be lucky to build enough for a film set..

[@palomarjack4395]

Neom.

[@DrJohnnyJ]

I learned in Dubai that when they promise a tram, you will get a tram. When they promise a hyperloop, you will get a tram.

[@Hebdomad7]

But I like trams...

[@mccallosone4903]

funny

[@dkbmaestrorules]

To be fair, trams are actually a useful method of transport.

[@baraka629]

Well, the hyperloop doesn't exist (and will not exist) so they might as well have promised a hen laying golden eggs.

[@dustintacohands1107]

LOL and if they promise Neom you get??? A road to nowhere ???

[@philippzimmerer1280]

Every time Simon says "Neom", I just imagine a race car going by.

[@BaphometsLounge]

Comment of the year winner here folks...I can't unhear neommmm!

[@blackc1479]

Thank God I didn't see this earlier. I wouldn't have made it through. You're evil, here, have my like.

[@ivybee347]

When you say it in out loud. 😂

[@drebk]

😂😂😂

[@oFaisalo]

Every time I hear ” philip”, I imagine a Philippine person .

[@mynt4033]

A designer's dream is an engineer's nightmare. An artist's dream is a designer's nightmare. Now what happens when an artist tries to design an actual city...

[@patricknorton5788]

Don't blame us artists. We aren't psychopathic Saudi princes.

[@ooohbabyyeah]

This is basically high-level money laundering

[@kavohjenkins7113]

You launder money to hide how it was made. This country is run by king the project was started by him. They don’t have to hide nothing.

[@braxtonholmquist48]

Never thought about it like that

[@dallasreid7755]

The rulers don't have to worry about any anti-money laundering rules. They make the rules.

[@MichaelB-jw5po]

"A city with a predictive A.I. that monitors everything happening" doesn't sound like the plot of a dystopian science fiction novel at all

[@RFSA180]

Can’t be any worse than the absolute hellscape of anarcho tyranny the west is in now

[@Propagandalf-sk2gu]

Minority report precrime!

[@TY-Tianyou]

At least it's in a religious state, so it's not quite dystopian.

[@user-fp5ks4md9y]

​@@TY-Tianyou 😂😂😂😂😂

[@dertythegrower]

Famous hollywood movie from 1993 Demolition Man, with many big name actors now, kind of showed it... whoa

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"You start in a bad location, so the city naturally forms a line as it attempts to get away from itself." -Pat Boyle

[@Tallimme]

Ah another fellow intellectual. Our rap news God was right yet again.

[@satu4387]

That Patrick’s video is YT gold😄

[@LoneTiger]

_"You start in a bad location..."_ Yep, just like New Jersey. 😹

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

@@LoneTiger New Jersey is a bad location because of the culture and policy. In terms of resources to work with, it's not that bad. Or, at least it wasn't when it was first founded.

[@CainXVII]

You call him Pat? 😂

[@adamarket]

This has all the makings of a great sci-fi story. Meglomanic "Prince" builds a boondoggle of a city to trap people within it and monitors them for subversive behavior, talk and even thoughts. What a hell hole, no matter how transparent and shiny.

[@thecellulontriptometer4166]

I've always thought it absolutely ridiculous that they really believe the world's wealthiest would want to vacation in one of the most extreme climates on the planet, only to sequester themselves indoors.

[@BlueBD]

That's where they live so of course they would think so.

[@mabaker]

But they will vacation there... you should look into how the rich spend their money. They're all absolutely ignorant and only thinking about themselves buying 20 dollars a litre water bottles... They would absolutely be the first ones to go there.

[@416to613]

They saw it kinda work for Dubai. And now every Gulf State is trying to one up Dubai.

[@mikemikena159]

Hey, Saudi are building an island for extra rich. Imagine US government doing the same, people would go nuts

[@mollusckscramp4124]

Americans and Brits already do this 24/7, it's all about status. They'd rather swim in a pool on a cruise ship rather than set foot in the ocean lmao

[@ApothecaryTerry]

To be fair, he only said they'd deliver something unprecedented, he didn't say it wasn't unprecedented failure.

[@irkallaLustre]

😂😂😂

[@antonnurwald5700]

Touche

[@mellie4174]

Exactly!

[@wobblyboost]

Yep, if someone uses 'unprecedented' 3 times in a single sentence, I know they mean 'unmitigated disaster of epic proportions'.

[@purplekief8154]

He'd bet $1 on the "price is right"

[@Dan-px8gk]

Can you imagine living in a city, working in the same city, and because the train broke down today you have a 170km walk to work?

[@d.aardent9382]

They wont have luxury golf carts on the side roads shuttling people back n forth? Lol

[@Krexel]

​@@d.aardent9382 Of course they will! But only for the ultra rich

[@morzh1978]

May rather spend 3-6 hours in a common underground train adjacent to high speed lane. Quite inspiring backup alternative!

[@Video2Webb]

😂🤣😛🤣

[@skeetrix5577]

one of the promo videos featured people floating around in mid air. that's when I laughed and thought well some people are going to get very rich off this deal and some people are going to lose everything because of how much money can be spent before anything tangible is constructed lol whoever puts more than a dime into this scam deserves to lose all their money in the end, and I won't be surprised when that happens

[@Chuckf66]

Let's not forget that the Burj Khalifa has its sewage carted away by trucks....

[@RuffDiesel]

Who gives a…shit lol

[@Ka0ziun]

Isnt it the entire city of Dubaï ? Im pretty sure ive heard that sewage being evacuated by trucks is a city wide thing as the city has no/poor sewage system.

[@syedhasanalimahdi7390]

⁠​⁠@@Ka0ziun They have a sewage system. Jebel Ali plant and one in Al Awir. They're also further expanding that system and invested 16 billion USD to accomodate the growing population.

[@lukasd.4389]

​@@syedhasanalimahdi7390I wonder how much of that money was invested in housing their starving slaves

[@syedhasanalimahdi7390]

@@lukasd.4389 „Starving slaves“ lmao. The UAE is one of 20 countries with a GHI (Global Hunger Index) score of less than 5 . Living conditions for migrant workers need improvement but this is just exaggeration. No one is starving in the UAE.

[@nassdj8493]

For your own safety Simon, please keep a safe distance from any Saudi embassy in the world, we still need your outstanding and bold shows.

[@bimblinghill]

Wow, who could have guessed that this would be an embarrassing failure

[@RamblingRodeo]

Everyone DID, why would anyone want to visit Saudi Arabia anyhow?

[@bimblinghill]

@@RamblingRodeo If I was forced to go to a murderous dictatorship, I'd at least choose one where I could drink

[@METALFREAK03]

@@bimblinghill oh, so that is why you think its a failure and not the design flaw.

[@METALFREAK03]

@@bimblinghill ps. a lot of people go to Saudi, mainly for business and vacations.

[@RamblingRodeo]

@@bimblinghill Bingo, however they do have bars for Westerners in Saudi. Most Saudi's or at LEAST the ELITE ones are allowed to.

[@vanpenguin22]

For the record, Mr. Whistler is in perfect health, Is not suicidal, and the brakes on his car are in perfect repair.

[@brainites]

🤣

[@thefloop2813]

comments like this would be better served in his video's regarding Russia lmao.

[@megalonoobiacinc4863]

what he meant to say, was that all his limbs are still perfectly attached together

[@personzorz]

​@@thefloop2813 or Boeing

[@Alex-zo6so]

Mr Whistler should be fine - he only said "Bo*ing" once.

[@daverapp]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="417">6:57</a> Imagine being a theocratic monarchy with a history of human rights abuses, and thinking the phrase "free thinkers and free spirits" has any merit to outside investors

[@nolongerblocked6210]

Hey Simon, when Crown Prince Bonesaw offers to give you a personal tour of Neom... I'd decline

[@holywarz]

I had a few friends who worked on the design and concept art you’re seeing here. The Saudi prince initially hired traditional architects, but their designs weren’t ambitious enough for him. That’s when he reached out to my friend who is a concept artist for film and television. He specializes in large-scale designs like cities and planets. The prince wanted designs he saw in the movies - most especially sci-movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, a film my buddy worked on. This is why the designs don’t work practically - concept artists are not architects or engineers.

[@marsmotion]

unless its just a scam and all it needs to be is attractive...

[@patrickcardon1643]

Considering the trackrecord of Saudi Arabia ... it"d go for the scam, they're on top and dictate the rules, yet it is still and never will be enough. Too much money makes them probably think they're gods

[@727skydivers]

If a district of "The Line" was planned to become a nightlife district like in "Blade Runner" or Kowloon Walled City, then that would be forward-thinking and a possible popular tourist destination! But you need alcohol, music, and allowance of scantily clad women. Without that, you can kiss it goodbye. It would be great, but I'm skeptical regarding a bacchanal in SA.

[@alton19pinto]

@@727skydivers The sort of people that make a place like Kowloon work are specifically not the sort that they're looking for. If they built something like that, a place that could offer decent living conditions compared to the hellholes that most of the regions refugee camps are turning into, I could see it evolving a culture of its own. No one would bat an eye at their Only Muslims Allowed policy, the whole city of Mecca already has that. They even wouldn't need alcohol since, again, Only Muslims Allowed. The real problem is that he's hoping to attract young professionals. The sort who could live in Silicon Valley or Manhattan. They actually want that sort of person to choose to live in a place with 24 hour surveilance, as the subject of a King

[@vladimirarnost8020]

@@alton19pinto It looks like a supermodern glass prison to me. There is no escape, only scorching desert all around. I wonder if people are even going to be able to go out behind the glass wall. That would require building roads, paths, etc. even around the noodle city.

[@stacie1595]

I think the prince should just write a sci-fi novel and call it a day

[@Loner-Wolf]

And that novel should be called 'The fantastical world of MBS'

[@rickwrites2612]

Seriously. Or a SF tv series. He has an imagination, maybe it would be very lucrative.

[@sharequsman596]

​@@rickwrites2612yeah maybe he can then stop oppressing and killing anyoke who opposes his tyrannical rule not limited to islamic scholars,journalists,,teachers,etc

[@Abbyravenclaw92]

Huh? See you in 2030

[@PinkMawile]

I feel like every time someone gets a chance to build a megaproject, they focus more on making it as flashy as possible with 'future tech', rather than using the opportunity to use what already exists without all the tangled issues of pre-existing cities.

[@Petticca]

I think they're the fever dream of people who might believe, that they, great thinker of the age, know how to fix all that is problematic in this city! They'll start a new city, -with blackjack and hookers... wait, that's Vegas- and it will use some kind of monorail/ vacuum tube/ pod transport system, and it will be flush with artificial canals, with many futuristic walkways criss crossing the canals at random intervals. People will be five minutes from everything, and maybe there will be elevators all over the sides of buildings, or maybe it will be trees and shrubberies, I guess it will depend on how much green the artist wants to use on their picture. It will be called Furtureville, and it will not have an unhoused population, or overcrowding, or any massive wealth and economic disparity within its zones. A crime-free, drug-free, trash-free utopialand, where tomorrow's future is here now! Whooo. These people are dipshits, really. They can't actually come up any solutions to the myriad issues already here, so they childishly assert they can solve it all with Tomorrowtowntoday, a city of their genius vision

[@philipk4475]

It's because if they had an ounce of common sense, they would abandon their stupid mega industrial projects.

[@WORKERS.DREADNOUGHT]

Will it have a cinema? And will it be showing endless repeats of Dune, Brazil and Blade Runner - or Alphaville? Metropolis - I could go on ...

[@Teeeheeeteeheee]

It'll play live action mad max soon

[@JeannetteReed]

Tremors, swell cast, lots of sand, creepy things that pop up out of sand. Well, bedtime, kids!!

[@fglatzel]

As most town planners will tell you, a linear city is really a dumb idea. But hey, it always looks so good with animated CGI.

[@jt_no_money2381]

Amazing how cgi can do that with a lot of things that are actually trash in the end!

[@JeeVeeHaych]

It would be better to invest in Saudi Arabia's future as a VFX hub.

[@liam3284]

rederite is amazing material, so are CGI microclimates in a fire trap.

[@SubjectE57]

I like how the CGI had trees floating on little anti-gravity islands. Anyone who invested in that is dumb as a stump.

[@tryscience]

It's about as real as the girl floating through space through the structure

[@etiletsatsi5130]

Classic Dunning-Kruger effect. Just because you're good at selling oil and dismembering journalists, now you're suddenly a visionary architect and engineer.

[@imac1957]

This is what happens when a long line off camel and goat herders come into a lot of money.

[@johanlahti84]

It is hard to stay on track with all that oil under their feet

[@joannemarinelli1936]

I’m reading all the comments and I’m weak with laughter and tears, I haven’t laughed this hard since God knows when, truth with sarcasm and laugher, you guys are incrediable. I’ve been following all these Gigaprojects for awhile now, my thought was, why not do one project at a time, not eleven or twelve on the go now, just didn’t make sense to do it that way, maybe I’m dense, but the Line gosh that’s impossible, someone’s smoking a lot of weed or snorting cocaine to have those visions, ☮️🇵🇸☪️🙏✝️🇨🇦

[@Vicieron]

yup.

[@cindyspear5763]

🤣😂😝. Excellent analysis!!

[@eprofessio]

Noam sounds like an idea that someone buried in literal lines of cocain would come up with.

[@cmwHisArtist]

Some questions….. 1. How deep in the sand do you have to dig to form a solid enough foundation for a building that high? 2. Are they finding any interesting archaeological discoveries? 3. Do the desert winds or rains keep filling in the holes? How are they kept perfectly level? 4. What effect would an earthquake or crack in the glass wall have on the rest of the building? 5. Financially, how would the prisoners, I mean tenants, pay for the cost of building and maintaining the project? 6. Would it gradually get sandy inside because of the location? 7. Aside from the end exit in the sea, how do tenants escape, I mean leave, especially in case of an emergency like a fire? 8. What would happen in the case of a severe rain storm like Dubai had recently? 9. Is the top open, or does the entire city have to be air conditioned? 10. How many residents are waiting for occupancy? 11. Is this a project of UN Agenda 2030? 12. Who did the financials on this idea?

[@elizabethkeatley5010]

and the first one I thought of: who/how will keep that expanse of glass clean?

[@cmwHisArtist]

@@elizabethkeatley5010 …yes, myself as well. Clean is one thing; completely pitted and dull after the first sandstorm is another . Which is what happens to solar panels in sandy areas or after hailstorms. Not sure if the mirrored sides have any use aside from deflecting sun, but 1. Where do you get a continuous mirror that large, and 2. Would it tend to melt or blind things near it depending on the angle of the sun?

[@Debodreal1]

You're asking too much questions. I will advise you not to go near any Saudi embassy.

[@cmwHisArtist]

@@Debodreal1 ….no worry, I’m just a little 80 year old lady who can barely get off the couch, having some research .

[@cindyspear5763]

Number 4... I looked into that,and the project is being built in an area with 10 seismically active fault zones.

[@bonecanoe86]

"The Line" = What they were snorting when they came up with the idea.

[@zandaroos553]

MBS really needs to stop taking so many trips to nightclubs in the Maldives

[@Zaluskowsky]

Top Comment

[@phildavies7666]

Sand!

[@LoscoeLad]

exactly that

[@Hydrazine1000]

It gets a really nasty twist if you've ever played the brilliant and disturbing Spec Ops: The Line...

[@terjeygard7328]

Basic geometry: A city is a hub. A line is NOT a hub. A line is a road, that in this case ends nowhere.

[@rouninpanda6318]

The future is linear cities, spiral roads, and square tires.

[@Matixmer]

And chrome …

[@trowawayacc]

Its the emperor clothes all over again. It might yet get built but given the current state of things its not feasable.

[@PlebNC]

Space elevators.

[@Hebdomad7]

Hey, it worked extremely well in the last sim city game... Right?

[@hbic4242]

The Saudis must be addicted to the Sims 4 to think these architectural structures could work 😂

[@Malhorne]

As a pro in the BMS industry, i could not even understand how could anybody have believed a single second that this project could even have a small chance... totally silly. It is at least the third project that failed in the region.

[@zarasbazaar]

Using the phrase "heads will roll" with a country that still beheads people causes a little shiver down the spine.

[@luizdevil6855]

he was being very literal

[@giovannip8600]

One way or another 😂

[@RetroGamerVX]

It went wrong, shock, horror. It's like a dystopian prison. This is what happens when a load of egomaniac children run a country.

[@gerharddeusser9103]

Just like our country Absurdistan 🏳️‍🌈 (formerly known as germany🇩🇪)

[@tomcollins5112]

The leadership of Saudi Arabia is really, really stupid.

[@matthewmiller6568]

​@@gerharddeusser9103how horrible that Germany legalize lgbtq

[@Hollylivengood]

Yeah, when he said it would attract free thinkers...in Saudi Arabia.

[@TheSovereign2011]

You mean a strong leader who will have you dismembered alive if you disagree with him doesn't result in sound plans and flawless delivery?

[@Gravewhisper]

man, all of these locations sound like a pretty good setting for a dystopian futuristic thriller/crime anime. :D

[@cargo_vroom9729]

A line seems like how you'd organize a city if you wanted every part to be the maximum possible distance from every other part. Which is basically the opposite of what a city is for if you think about it.

[@Obeythebeard]

I had high hopes for Neom. As a derelict places buff I was looking forward to visiting an epic region of massive ruins in fifteen years or so.

[@andymouse]

You will get it so make sure your passport is up to date ! :~)

[@rcreccomendationsforpeople3906]

literally also exactly what i was looking forward to

[@stevewhite3424]

​@@andymouseWon't do you any good unless you are on your once in a lifetime pilgagramage to Mecca as.a Mualim. Or a specific invite of the Saudi government. There are no other kinds of fvisas There are especially no visitor visas.

[@ekvinto]

​@@stevewhite3424 What are you talking about? A lot of citizenships can literally get it fully online (for 90 days in a year)

[@edc1569]

Like going to Chernobyl

[@sergioreyes298]

'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

[@samdog_1]

Yep. Shelley really nailed hubris with that one....

[@murrayneish4695]

Dreamworks are planning a children's feature about a dyslexic camel lost in the Arabian desert called Finding Neom

[@cindyspear5763]

🤣😂🤣😂😝 That is HILARIOUS!!

[@stopato5772]

When a despot gets desperate for a 'legacy' - other than body parts sneaked out of an embassy

[@liliadomashovets6641]

I lived and worked in Saudi and the only thought I had was "why do they leave these construction sites unfinished but aspire to build a sci-fi city that makes no sense" The amount of abandoned construction sites and buildings in Saudi is eye-watering

[@AbrahamLure]

I would love to see a documentary series on this

[@dakoderii4221]

Money laundering and Ponzi schemes.

[@Sam..572]

Bullshit.. highly doubt you even stepped foot in Saudi, but if you did, other than the remote building that you probably never seen (Jeddah tower) what other half built/ abandoned construction sites did you pass by? Yes, they announce some projects that are never even started, but never abandoned after construction starts.

[@vashonm]

@@Sam..572you get WiFi at the riyadh ritz-carlton lol

[@vashonm]

@@Sam..572you get WiFi at the riyadh ritz-carlton lol

[@fathaldinaljamal7740]

One of the key hallmarks of cancer is "Inducing Angiogenesis". It's when a bunch of cells who only care of themselves (arrogant), generate new blood vessels to drive nutrients their way.

[@brainites]

Wicked!

[@thedownwardmachine]

“The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it’s everywhere. The world’s most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.” - Matt Taibbi

[@randomgrinn]

That is every Billionaire on Earth.

[@theRealDavidn]

thats actually a great way of putting it

[@TY-Tianyou]

Bro just described capitalism in medical terms

[@loquist42]

Aid: "Crown Prince, people are saying they don't want us to access the data on their phones and be monitored in their homes and public." Salman: "Why would they not want such a gift from a benevolent man like me?"

[@ewanedwards6822]

With a design like this and all these ideas like a "predictive A.I that monitors everything" wouldn't it be more feasible at that point to just try and make a goddamn space colony?

[@dorsk84]

I had a co-worker that did a teaching gig in Saudi. He told us that no matter what, if you are well to do, you have to save face. Like if a kid was failing class, and that kid was a "prince", he WAS passing no matter his grade. This sounds like the same thing. Just with this massive project.

[@cane6074]

Honor-Shame dynamics 101.

[@Romit12]

The "Prince" is probably using it to get away with being stupid

[@drunkenhobo8020]

There was a perfect example of this at the 2023 Saudi Grand Prix. The band that performed the national anthem simply could not play the instruments - it was just a cacophony. People living there said that was quite a common thing, kids of rich parents would have them as part of the band, and they would play in the band no matter what. You weren't allowed to tell them they had all of the talent and grace of a baboon in mating season.

[@us3rG]

The kings take care of Saudi people in general

[@juki6377]

saving face in asia is pretty important too, and sometimes in very indirect ways that lead to misunderstandings with foreigners (americans) and locals. For a while i used to teach as well, and while you are held accountable for the kid failing, you must make them succeed by any means (i had people tell me to beat their kids), probably less so in lesser well off schools, the rich kid schools were my least favourite (and generally had the most bullying among students). When teaching saudi medical staff in Europe i mostly remember them as extremely rude and crass (most female staff refused to go near them).

[@dx-ek4vr]

“The adoring public started laughing” Actually, I think the public was laughing the entire time. We just started laughing even harder

[@Scudboy17]

The reason all the talking heads in Saudi Arabia are still saying Neom and all of its projects are still happening is that disagreeing with the royal family is a great way to wake up missing your head. Don't forget one of the first reporters to talk bad about the Line was allegedly killed because of it. People in SA are too afraid to laugh.

[@innobius4898]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6HTi4R5h8qcesksi=M5PQddrry7qchZ3G

[@eukaryote-prime]

I’m not laughing. This was probably a grift by the extremely rich to ensnare the money from the merely very rich. Rich people grifting other naive rich people. Or something. No way it was going to get done, so it had to be some kind of money scam…

[@briannam3140]

exactly

[@battlesheep2552]

"Oh wait, you're serious. Let me laugh even harder"

[@shyamdevadas6099]

Something that has always confused me about Neom is the lack of info on the engineering. Even if you do a project like this in stages, you have to go through a raft of planning and procedures. There's the basic civil engineering part. Then, there is the sustainment of the construction effort. (It takes a city of support staff just to make sure you have the right people and that they are being supplied, fed, sheltered, etc.) On something like this, the organizers would tend to take pride in just talking about that part. The architects, MEP firms, and construction companies would each be running constant PR efforts. I have seen almost none of this.

[@odbo_One]

As an engineer, when I first heard about this I suddenly knew there will be great times ahead. So, I grabbed a case of beer, went to my buddy's house then we had a great time poking fun at this.

[@goncalovazpinto6261]

The project is not just strapped for cash, it's strapped for physics.

[@justicedemocrat9357]

How exactly is it strapped for physics?

[@goncalovazpinto6261]

@@justicedemocrat9357 170 km train trip in 20 minutes? 🤣 You do the math. I suggest taking into account acceleration and deceleration (G force) and A LOT of stops along the way, since there is no space at the bottom for hundreds of lines.

[@10HW]

​@@goncalovazpinto6261the whole Line constantly shaking because of the trains endlessly going back and forth. + the noise reverberating on the glass/mirror walls. Hell on Earth.

[@goncalovazpinto6261]

@@10HW so many memes...😆

[@kharmachaos667]

@justicedemocratrandomstuff: One word. Sand.

[@BaldurvanLew]

And on the pedestal these words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

[@robertnett9793]

Yep... A lot of people don't know the rest of the poem :D

[@EndingSimple]

And before that was the Tower of Babel.

[@robwoodring9437]

Cool quote/poem from Dune:Messiah... Here lies a toppled god His fall was not a small one We but built his pedestal, A narrow and a tall one.

[@geoffreypiltz271]

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desart.[d] Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" No thing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. - Percy Shelley, "Ozymandias", 1819 edition

[@AnthonyBouttell]

LOL!!! I posted the exact same lines I changed the name of Ozymandias to Prince… Saud.

[@thurinaradan7135]

"the World's Most Ridiculous City" When I saw the title I thought it was going to be about Washington DC.

[@Mic_Glow]

I think a literal 6 year old would understand this "city" would be an extremely inefficient use of material and terrible to live in

[@Kaltagstar96]

"I drive everybody like a slave, when they drop down dead, I celebrate. That's how I do my projects" being said like it's a positive is just the most insane thing to hear.

[@garyruss3529]

A perspective shared by many of the 1%.

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

Sadly many Americans would share this sentiment. Most of them boomers, but still. Hustle culture and late stage capitalism are a brain rot that actively works against all of our best interests

[@baomao7243]

He is trying to posture so as to be seen by MBS (and the world) as Steve Jobs starting Apple from nothing. Unfortunately, though, “treating people like slaves” has a very different meaning in KSA than in most of the developed tech world. In KSA, the master-slave relationship is a common model. Laborers are viewed by many as being expendable. The gazillions of laborers from India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines all tell their stories…

[@dnomyarnostaw]

@@skeetsmcgrew3282 You're a bit generation biased. Read up the history of the Panama and the Suez canal, and most of the US railroads and bridges. It was happening long before the "boomers"

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

@@dnomyarnostaw Ok but they openly treated brown people as sub human and would be extremely unlikely to brag about how they drive white men into an early grave. It was more about pure racism than pure capitalism

[@barbararowley6077]

I remember when I first saw the ads and the sheer horror that hit the moment I realised it wasn’t a dystopian film trailer. Deserts are ecosystems, not empty wastelands, and the disruption to native wildlife of a massively long and high solid fence would be devastating.

[@Tinmann_77]

Dystopian movies are just the elitists telling us what they are working towards.

[@angamaitesangahyando685]

​@@Jbs6187 For these hippies, the world is but a morality play between evil humans and vegetarian lions. - Adûnâi

[@Alblaka]

@@Jbs6187 Oof. I mean, they got a point that the project is *also* an ecological disaster, but yeah, next to all the slave labor and waste of economic resources (that could be used for a variety of purposes, including ecological ones), the ecological concerns kind of pale out.

[@Nico6th]

I thought it was one of those fancy sci-fi projects that architecture students come up with for their final thesis and that are not even meant to ever be build but are interesting case studies concerning the infrastructure of the design. I was very much surprised to hear that they are actually building that thing.

[@Callimo]

​@angamaitesangahyando685 Oh, and what are you and yours going to do? Eat lead when/if it gets too hot for your body to sweat the climate change heat? Hmm, guess so. :)

[@tinkergnomad]

This is going to puzzle archeologists someday.

[@JRBendixen]

Not so sure. When they finally abandon the project the hole will just get filled with sand once again.

[@0Aus]

​@@JRBendixen😂👍

[@G1NZOU]

What I always find funny is the amount of handwaving this project needs to justify its supposed feasibility, the transport relies on tech which hasn't gone beyond a few small test tracks and which multiple startups have gone bankrupt, the daily running of the city just has the vague "AI will handle it" explanation, maintenance and infrastructure has "3D printing will fix everything". It's so lacking in vision that it's just an exercise in wacky concept art without any grounding in reality, and an excuse for executives to shift investor's money around and make it vanish.

[@G1NZOU]

The thing that's not funny though is how many people have been evicted from their land and sentenced to execution because the Saudi Government wants this project to happen.

[@CaedenV]

Neom was a massive success, and works just like previous "failed" megaptojects. It's just a legal way to embezzl money into the hands of contractors and industries that need a payoff. If it happens to get funding from the outside world to fund it, then it just discounts the amount that the crown has to put forward into the project.

[@agathaloewen877]

But who is stupid enough to "invest" in this nightmare?

[@oneoranota]

Sounds about right. They can have their friends dig foundations for the next 30 years.

[@Kerome33]

I suspect most of the world’s real investors are going to be a lot less easy-going with their wealth than the Saudi crown prince.

[@spankeyfish]

I reminds me of the Barnsley Halo (which mercifully never even got to the geotechnical survey stage before being killed by the Credit Crunch) except that seemed to be a fraud perped by an 'architect' upon the local council.

[@SergioMollari]

@@agathaloewen877 "But who is stupid enough to "invest" in this nightmare?" Someone who has huge amounts of extremely dirty money that they can't launder any other way. That's about all that paper mega-projects are actually good for.

[@SparkBerry]

The Emperor's New Clothes played out on a grand scale.

[@brainites]

🤣

[@Winterborn5]

Perfect reference. Nice.

[@erickgomez7775]

Only intelligent people can see Neom happen

[@markfryer9880]

I'm surprised that trump isn't in on the deal, I mean scam!😅

[@wallhagens2001]

You said it!

[@morbiusprime2043]

I think all these discussions miss the mark on the very simple fact that there’s absolutely no raison d’être for this project. Countries don’t become tech hubs by building “cool” cities, they do so by investing in human capital.

[@johnmcnulty4425]

Why does The Line remind me of the dystopian futuristic movie Logan's Run?

[@samashby8203]

I kid you not, back in 2019/20, I spent a year at a prominent branding agency in London working on various Neom design projects. Investor presentations, early tourism stuff and websites. My boss had flown out there a few times. The Zoom calls with the Saudi team could be a bit intense. It was fun to work on but I don't suppose anyone really thought they'd make it happen.

[@WhichDoctor1]

Imagine wanting to build a city without cars, and then designing it in a way that makes everywhere you want to go to as far away from eachother as physically possible

[@olp1e]

While I think the Neom concept is bonkers, it makes sense that in a linear city only 200 meters wide cars are unnecessary if there is public transport running down the centre

[@andrewauchter7759]

@@olp1e The insanity is that it would only have one, singular, train. So if anything goes wrong anywhere at all on the length of that line, the entire system backs up and fails. Also, cars would still be unnecessary if you just made the thing a grid and had functioning public transport there.

[@SmallWonda]

And as if Saudi's don't love their 4x4s!!

[@icosthop9998]

Back to the *"Drawing Board"* ❕️❗️❕️

[@olp1e]

@@andrewauchter7759 I didn't say train I said public transport which could be a bus or tram. Also if the city is just 200 meters wide, a spinal road for cars would take up too much space. As I said before the whole idea is bonkers, and until the final design is known it's pointless to continue this discussion.

[@CitizenAyellowblue]

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desart.[d] Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" No thing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. - Percy Shelley, "Ozymandias", 1819 edition

[@Kashype101]

Dude this guy is everywhere how many channels does he have get away from my recommendations.

[@kelliepatrick519]

He is the host of 5-6 channels. He doesn't control your recommendations, the KZbin algorithm does.

[@marykent2024]

So, this will be the largest palace ever built, with slave quarters on the lower levels. Control transportation, water, and power. Monitor every aspect of every worker's life. What could go wrong?

[@WindTurbineSyndrome]

Anyone who displeased the Spice Overlord will be sent outside via one door at Neom to die in heat of desert with no food and water.

[@arbjful]

@@WindTurbineSyndromethey probably have ‘punishment’ doors that open into the desert, and the condemned would have to step out…

[@rickwrites2612]

Haha like Dune.

[@Its_like_the_T-Rex]

The entire project is about as dystopian as it gets. Imagine being the poor workers living shoulder to shoulder in the bottom level of this walled city. They would essentially be slaves with no where to run as desert goes for miles in every direction.

[@shannonspage9360]

Absolute nightmare fuel.

[@danielmclellan1522]

Warhammer 40k style Hive City.

[@AerisShenlin]

came here to say this but you beat me to it. How do you get out if you're not rich enough to afford a helicopter? Nightmare.

[@SubjectE57]

They watched Silo on apple TV and then asked a slave to hold their beer.

[@SingleTrack66]

Why would this be a problem when you are fundamentally evil ?

[@timstradling7764]

Somebody been mistaking Marvel comics for Reality😂

[@BillCameronWC]

When I first heard about this project and who is behind it, I knew it would most likely be a massive flop, dreamed up in the imagination of a spoiled brat who expects to be able to snap his fingers and things just happen. The real world isn’t like that. Having lived & worked in KSA many years ago I was immediately deeply sceptical.

[@billyfugate4823]

Remember children, an architect's dream is an engineer's nightmare

[@OffGridInvestor]

Been on a construction site like that before.

[@ashaman81]

If you think it's bad for the engineer, imagine how bad it is for the tradesmen at the end.

[@scottabc72]

do they even have architects for this or just cgi artists?

[@ShiNiGaMi-bb2ep]

@@scottabc72someone in the comments above said that they’ve first hired architects but their designs weren’t flashy enough for the king so they’ve hired concept artists who’ve worked for sci-fi movies and games💀

[@iambicpentakill971]

@@ShiNiGaMi-bb2ep Wait, are you trying to tell me that an architect didn't design those floating tree pods? 🤣

[@AnnaCentauri]

They keep pissing their finite oil-money away, this part of the world is going to be up the creek without a paddle when the oil runs out

[@ripvanwinkle2002]

yea im sure they are worried about what happens in thousands of years.. oil doesnt come from dead dinosaurs. you know that right?

[@darthtac]

Or when science pulls its finger out and we all get a Mr. Fusion to power our flying cars.

[@dougaldouglas8842]

True, and who shall suffer? The people, and so-called visions are no visions, just arrogance spoken as such. Around the world cities have been created, never to be inhabited because the vision was, again, not a vision, but sheer arrogance

[@disorganizedorg]

@@darthtac Oil will still be valuable as a source of chemicals.

[@TalesOfWar]

@@disorganizedorg If anything, prices will go up for the useful but not burning it for fuel aspects.

[@engineerskalinera]

15 years later, we will be walking through empty sand filled remains of what little of this will be built and joke about whether or not we "feel like a hero yet". A very fitting injoke, for the ruins of a city whose entire concept is being _'The Line.'_

[@MrLewooz]

The delirium of a prince not drunk but on acid........................................

[@harounel-poussah6936]

On acid, he'd become a nice hippie... Not really his style...

[@lostfan10000]

Even the Pharaohs knew to build their pyramids near the Nile...

[@victory8928]

One of them had to abandoned his cause it was too close to the river as well. But point stands there is a reason why

[@kathrynoneill81]

Apparently ancient leaders were smarter than those of today. Progress?

[@NothingXemnas]

I think it is less about purposely building them "near the Nile" and more about the fact that cemeteries and mausoleums (essencially what pyramids were) are supposed to be near where most people are: riverside cities. Pharaohs were still humans, with friends and families, so of course they would build these massive monoliths near where they themselves lived. In a way, it wasn't the pharaohs who decided to build near rivers and more the fact they had no choice; even the peasants wouldn't build anything away from sources of water, because that would be absurd. NEOM is completely opposite. It grows in the middle of the desert BECAUSE there are no people there to relocate for their dumb projects.

[@mollusckscramp4124]

@@kathrynoneill81 Let's also keep in mind these ancient rulers _literally believed they were direct descendants of god_ which gave them "divine right" to rule. Think about how much more insane people must be today to not even have their level of common sense... it's almost scary.

[@sztypettto]

@@NothingXemnas uh... the pyramids were built near the nile for aesthetics and logistical convenience. The river moved large stone blocks and material easily than animals and jews.

[@zairac2564]

The mirrors will make a "death zone" on the sunny side of the line. Imagine all the dead birds, confused mammals, and desiccated insects as they encounter the double Sun wall. Also, what's with the levitating trees?

[@neotronextrem]

Well, atleast the deathzone would be clearly marked after a few months, "Dont venture into the Area with the glass ground and the charred corpses"

[@zairac2564]

@@neotronextrem it might be okay for scavengers if they're quick. It would be an endless supply of jerky.

[@WindTurbineSyndrome]

A previous comment says Neom was created by a cgi artist who renders sci Fi scenes NOT an architect or anyone in reality business because the Boss wasn't impressed by reality being a despotic dictator living in a fiefdom with too much money in a country 90% unhabitable due to lack of water. Bedouin nomads who actually lived in that area were forced off to build Neom with zero human rights just scraped off.

[@chickensalad3535]

It’s tragic and terrifying to think about.

[@oalsaker]

I wonder if the plan was for Judge Dredd to supply security services.

[@bentleygt3716]

this is the most ridiculous, hideous, and ugliest project i've ever seen . why would anyone live in a capsule ???!!!! like living in a prison . thank you for the video.

[@DavidByrden1]

Here's the weirdest part: the long, thin shape of the city guarantees that every household, every district, will have a very large amount of a rare and unusual resource: An edge. Because in a normal city, only a fraction of addresses are near to the edge, where the city ends. Neom would give everybody a big slice of edge. So, obviously we must ask, what's this edge for? What would they do with all this edge? Give citizens a beautiful view? Construct outdoor parks in walkable distance? Nope. Outside is an intensely hot desert that can kill you. The view is too boring to look at. Neom provides you with a lot of something useless.

[@spankeyfish]

Instead of landlords, Neom would've had edgelords.

[@hitchmille]

The kids on the ground floor would have a great sandpit to play in, but only if there is a gate or door in their glass wall. 😂

[@markweatherill]

You can't deny it's cutting edge

[@giantbonsai8950]

@@hitchmille until the wind piles up the sand in giant drifts against the wall and blocks all light and access to the outside.

[@DavidByrden1]

@@markweatherill The more I think about this, the stranger it seems. People in Neom could feel confined, almost imprisoned, being trapped between two edges so close together. If they could walk THROUGH an edge, and reach a pleasant outdoor environment: the nearness of edges would be a huge benefit. But they can't. Neom's designers are pretty insistent that they want nothing out there but sand. To preserve the pristine beauty of their huge mirrored blade. And, in any case, it's one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Neom could work somewhere else - somewhere nice. Imagine if Neom were a curved structure, snaking through Alpine valleys, passing a lake every now and then?

[@Cyanide300]

The idea of "the line" is so stupid it boggles the mind. You know what would be cool, building a city in a line. But then you could fold that line back on itself to save space right? And then you could do it again until you have a zig-zag city. But then you could connect the ends of the zig-zag together to save driving time and...oh, it's a grid.

[@drebk]

😂😂😂 very succinct

[@oFaisalo]

Why you don’t want people to build something new ? If your logic is on every human they will never be planes, cars, skyscrapers, etc

[@pavelow235]

They tried building in NYC cubes that rose from the sidewalk, 800 feet straight up on four sides with no setbacks, but some residents complained, 100 years later, NYC is more expensive(income by percentage of Gross metropolitan product ) than 1924. So what gives?

[@bahamut256]

@@oFaisalo "Why don't you want people to try eating dogshit? If every human shares your logic, nobody will try eating dogshit off the sidewalk!"

[@nathanielsaxe3049]

​@@oFaisalo People should try to build something new when there are expected benefits to building it that way. What actual benefit is there of this being a giant straight line rather than some other shape?

[@daisymeroalin2372]

It's like when a kid in minecraft envisions a huge building project and realizes it had no skill for it after placing 2 blocks. At least minecraft does not have to obey the physics

[@FF-ch9nr]

Saudis out here making Bioshock 3's new setting

[@sample.text.]

Anyone with half a brain and some common sense would have looked at the Line project and seen the huge flaws in it. From the mirrored exterior literally cooking the surrounding sand and turning it into glass, to the fact that it would turn into a dystopian hellscape with the "lesser-than" workers and staff living on the bottom floors and receiving no sunlight at all and the rich and powerful living at the top floors. If I, not an architect nor an engineer, can see these few glaring issues how come no one in charge of the project did a double take is beyond me.

[@Horse-and-Butterfly]

Yessir, I believe you are right. Architect here. I'll add too that given it's shape, linear in both horizontal and vertical axes also means that there would be a hierarchy in distribution of resources (energy, food, etc), not to mention waste management💀, and quality of life in general (i.e. access to public spaces, are those spaces receiving sunlight, open, or tucked down into crevasses where crime and danger are far from the eyes of those who would have the power to do anything about it). Living on a specific side of this could mean you are destined to live your entire life in shadow, or exposed to intense sun. You would probably be subject to communal taxes which would pay for resources that only some get. In all, I dont think this has any intention of being built and all the intentions of simply moving mass amounts of money around. There's a reason humans have not built linear cities in our entire history. If they were beneficial natural selection would have led us to build them this way a ver long time ago 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Deadguy2322forreal]

Nobody should expect a Saudi royal's pet project to be designed with any car for the lower-class people.

[@Deadguy2322forreal]

*care for the lower classes

[@marykent2024]

What happens with air flow? any fire would have a chimney effect. floods would be devastating. Look at the flood in Dubai recently. (by the way, how did the skyscraper that trucks out human waste daily fare in the flooding?)

[@knightwolf3511]

@@Horse-and-Butterfly this is why structural engineer hates Architects. as for structural this would be the cheapest in design since it's copy / paste and less to almost no bends meaning everything will be cheaper to build with, this building will be cheaper then making the same number of sky scrapers to hold the same amount of population

[@randomdisplayname]

Credit to the Saudis. This would have taken an ungodly amount of cocaine for an American to come up with and then mess up. They've managed to do that without drugs and alcohol.

[@Autotrope]

That these clowns don't do drugs or alcohol is a big claim

[@scarybaldguy]

Megalomania is a helluva drug.

[@KukkaKaalikorva-vq3fh]

Theres no way someone sober came up with the original idea

[@superraegun2649]

Or so we've been told

[@josephturco7911]

Nobody at college did more coke than the Saudis.

[@something1600]

These Smoothed Brained mega projects can become some really nice ruins in the Desert once they get abandoned for obvious reasons.

[@EastWindCommunity1973]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1004">16:44</a> the world is NOT in the process of weaning itself off of oil. With the addition of renewable capacity, oil has ALSO increased.

[@lizzfrmhon]

I worked in Saudi Arabia for one year at a company under the PIF umbrella. IT WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. Never had I ever been in such a toxic work environment ever. Lies, preferential treatment to Saudi employees, underhanded deals, boys clubs where women’s opinions meant nothing. Workplace discrimination, etc. I was paid a lot of money but NOTHING is worth going through that to me.

[@sarahs472]

And at the end of the day you can't even have a beer! It is so weird to me that rich tourists flock to states that will *execute you* for breaking the rules. I also can't fiscally support countries that treat women like dangerous objects. I'm just a bro with boobs, honestly.

[@a.jherbert5436]

I mean, you chose to work in Saudi Arabia for a year. What did you expect? It's Saudia Arabia.

[@lizzfrmhon]

@@a.jherbert5436 I had lived in the Middle East for 10 years before so at least I have knowledge of the region to assume what to expect from the country. I don’t expect the workplace culture of the company I went into. There’s plenty other companies in ksa that are absolutely fine to work at. I assume you’ve never lived or worked in the Middle East so your opinion really doesn’t mean much to me. Everybody looks for better opportunities in life and I’m sure if you were offered buckets of money to go do a job you would too, which is why I said that in the end the money was not worth the heartache for me.

[@CL-vz6ch]

I have no desire to give them any of my money. A toxic country.

[@dustintacohands1107]

Money corrupts and Saudi Arabia was blessed with a lot of it very quickly.

[@matthewedwards9423]

I think all vloggers talking about this subject should show the project the respect it deserves. Every time you say "Neom", you should have a toy plane in your hand that "flies" as you say it.

[@irkallaLustre]

😂😂😂

[@olp1e]

No, it should be an elephant called Dumbo in a white suit (I wasn't going to suggest a flying pig cos the imagery would be too insulting)

[@plicketyplunk]

No. Chocolate chip cookies, "neom, neom".

[@thahardman]

Dude, that's a next level dad joke

[@joannemarinelli1936]

Oh my God! I’m crying I’m laughing so much, love it, imagining it as you said it, I wonder if MBS reads all the comments, alot of tantrums and fits, you no he’s thin skinned, the Washington reporter who was chopped up found that out.

[@tobiasunbekannt3541]

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: - Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert... Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed And on the pedestal these words appear ‚My name is Ozymandias, king of kings Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!‘ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. -Percy Bysshe Shelley

[@aria8928]

Sounds like buddy wanted to make an MMO but didn't know what a videogame was

[@edvincent]

As someone who lives at the beach. Sand is not static, if you build something that tall and that long. It's going to block the flow of the sand. I could see that becoming a huge long term problem.

[@johngreydanus2033]

Exactly what I thought too, having seen how intentional placed fences work with blowing snow in Canada.

[@kevinfletcher1999]

And the lovely glass walls will be sandpapered to a dull matt finish.

[@maxwellquebec8675]

On the bright side it's cheaper to keep a glass building in the world's hottest desert cool if it's covered in sand 😉

[@jonhodges6572]

The straightest sand dune in the world

[@paulpedersen1329]

Among many others.

[@jimwoodford3984]

When they can't even finish a single skyscraper, did anyone really think this would be built. It was likely nothing more than a giant scam.

[@brockpowell5417]

Dubai has no skyscrapers?

[@jimwoodford3984]

@@brockpowell5417 Who's talking about Dubai? This comment makes me assume you're American. 😂

[@DocBree13]

Exactly

[@giin97]

​@@jimwoodford3984eh. Fair. I couldn't name a single Saudi city, myself, and I've never cared to look up where Dubai is. As an American, I had 50 States to learn about in school, with their histories and the cities within; countries an ocean away hold very little importance.

[@allhailderpfestor4839]

​@@brockpowell5417 He's referencing Jeddah tower

[@laikanbarth]

This sounds like a dystopian fantasy written by a 14 year old boy. I wonder how all of those batteries and electronics will hold out in the desert with the constant sand and heat. The cloud seeding will be great for those electronics. People have already tried the solar farms out in the Sahara desert and it went terrible. The solar panels couldn’t hold up to the heat and the panels kept getting covered in sand.

[@billotto602]

This is fantastic ! I remember the first video. Please keep us updated ! Thank-you Simon !

[@Revenant-oq9ts]

The House of Saud had a native in the area who refused to move executed so they could spend over a trillion dollars to dig a trench that today sits undermanned and near abandoned. I don't even know what to say.

[@summersolstice884]

The hubris of man is infinite ....

[@liam3284]

don't do dictatorship

[@bf-696]

Neom is a solar roadways grade example of absolute stupidity. "What a great idea!" Said nobody, ever.

[@jammiebooker6489]

Elon Musk probably likes it

[@fluidthought42]

I liked solar roadways... when I was in high school forever ago. For two weeks.

[@ethancoster1324]

A solar roadway, especially in Arabia would be a lot more plausible and acceptable.

[@stevenvanhulle7242]

The official name is Solar _Freakin_ Roadways.

[@chimpana]

​@@ethancoster1324 😂

[@isaiahwall3689]

Seems like they would need to constantly need to change out glass from sand blowing. Plus dunes are always moving, it would need a full time crew digging out sand. We have a community on the Oregon coast that has houses getting partially buried every year.

[@seanheisey8645]

Jesus mate how many channels do you have? 3 diff videos recommended from 3 different channels all with you as the narrator. Voice is golden. 💯

[@courier.66]

My dad's company was contracted to help build it, he told me they were given millions in dirhams(because the branch that was contracted was the Dubai branch) and because Neom changed where the Line had to go, my dad's company went through all that money trying to survey the area that the Line willbe built on before the location is changed again, in all, they went through millions of Dirhams, did not build anything and NEOM got mad at my dad's company when it was all their fault, if NEOM didn't change the location all the time, something would've been built

[@orchidorio]

I believe it.

[@CordeliaWagner1999]

Narcicissts blame everyone else for their faults.

[@Rom2Serge]

WOW! From your story it looks like from the beginning the NEOM did it intentionally coz didn't want anything to be built. They just wanted to rise funds and wash their hands. When it comes to construction projects (al least in Europe) , first they do full geological study, that might take years before starting construction .

[@shizzlecrystal5964]

Why are you exposing your own dad's confidential information on the Internet? For a few likes, you'd risk getting him in trouble. Wow.

[@courier.66]

​​​@@shizzlecrystal5964 I didn't say which company he works for, why do you think I always say "my dad's company"? Besides, it's always good to let people have some insight from the people who worked on this damned project Edit: I sent a reply before this but KZbin on mobile was acting up on me and I thought it didn't send but it did so I deleted that one and just went with this current one and besides, a project of this scale requires many companies, can't really track down which company on the project that my dad works for

[@hellosunshine2826]

This plan seems like the result of a powerful man surrounded by yes men

[@bannankev]

Yes

[@edc1569]

Yes or you get bone sawed.

[@luizarthurbrito]

It is amazing that anyone with half a brain immediately saw how stupid this project is, but some of the wealthiest people on earth were oblivious to it.

[@patrickadair7025]

Cocaine

[@drakkenmensch]

You have to say yes because the royal decapitator is always keeping his sword swinging arm ready to go when the saudi royal family says so.

[@baseballfan99]

Poking holes in this project is like shooting fish in a barrel. Patrick Boyle did this to this project a few months ago.