Quote of the Day

[timelets]

At a gathering of prominent venture capitalists at the Fairmont Hotel, in San Francisco, M.B.S. spoke bluntly about Saudi Arabia’s prospects. According to one attendee, he said, “In twenty years, oil goes to zero, and then renewables take over. I have twenty years to reorient my country and launch it into the future.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/09/a-saudi-princes-quest-to-remake-the-middle-east

Few years back, my friend (who teaches in Saudi Arabia) and I chatted about ways SA could become an innovation economy. I remember saying that matching SA's oil money with Israel's expertise would do the trick. Moreover, it would transform the region into a hotbed for technology development in sustainable energy and agriculture. We both laughed. At the time, the whole idea felt completely crazy. It still feels crazy, but just a tad less crazy than before.