Neom, Pt 2: The Emperor’s New Clothes episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 26, 2025 · 42 MIN

Neom, Pt 2: The Emperor’s New Clothes

from The Journal. · host The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

Andy Wirth and Tony Harris moved halfway across the world to help build Neom: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s futuristic new city in the Saudi desert. But what they found wasn’t the desert utopia of Neom’s marketing. Instead, they found a project bleeding cash, led by a screaming CEO, where very little was actually being built.  WSJ’s Rory Jones and Eliot Brown explain how Neom fell years behind schedule – and went billions of dollars over-budget – thanks to a culture of runaway spending and never telling the boss “no.” Hosted by Ryan Knutson.  Further Listening: - Neom, Pt 1: Skiing in the Desert  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy Wirth and Tony Harris moved halfway across the world to help build Neom: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s futuristic new city in the Saudi desert. But what they found wasn’t the desert utopia of Neom’s marketing. Instead, they found a project bleeding cash, led by a screaming CEO, where very little was actually being built.  WSJ’s Rory Jones and Eliot Brown explain how Neom fell years behind schedule – and went billions of dollars over-budget – thanks to a culture of runaway spending and never telling the boss “no.” Hosted by Ryan Knutson.  Further Listening: - Neom, Pt 1: Skiing in the Desert  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NOW PLAYING

Neom, Pt 2: The Emperor’s New Clothes

0:00 42:43

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Journal.?

This episode is 42 minutes long.

When was this The Journal. episode published?

This episode was published on April 26, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Andy Wirth and Tony Harris moved halfway across the world to help build Neom: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s futuristic new city in the Saudi desert. But what they found wasn’t the desert utopia of Neom’s marketing. Instead, they found a project...

Can I download this The Journal. episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!