The head of Saudi Arabia’s Neom project has been sacked in a shake-up to one of the world’s biggest construction programmes amid budget and scheduling concerns.
Nadhmi Al-Nasr had been criticised for his aggressive management style on the project, which includes a planned city encased in mirrors called The Line. He had been accused of terrorising employees, with reports by the Wall Street Journal alleging he threatened to bury an employee in the desert and urinate on his grave.
Having led Neom since 2018, Al-Nasr was also viewed as responsible for the project’s implausible media campaigns, which promised “zero-gravity living”, controlled by artificial intelligence and powered by renewable energy sources.
Despite the advertising, he did not give journalists access or even briefings to update
