The energy CEO who started a company focusing on renewable energy decided to back out of a $100 million deal with Neom after learning that the Saudi government was destroying villages to build the city.
The CEO of Solar Water, Malcolm Aw, initially joined Neom to help create an environmentally friendly city.
Neom is a big part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to shift its economy away from oil and turn it into a high-end tourist spot and innovation center.
But Aw was shocked by reports of human rights violations, so he canceled the deal in 2022, even though he had already built some water purification plants there.
