*RIYADH – Big companies have been pulling out of the Future InvestmentInitiative, an upcoming conference in Saudi Arabia.*
Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, was last seen entering theSaudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The Turkish police believe he waskilled and dismembered at the consulate. The Saudis have denied this.
The list of companies and individuals withdrawing from the conference, alsocalled Davos in the Desert, is rising. The event will be held on October 23.
The conference is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 project – thebrainchild of the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed binSalman. The project is strongly dependent on overseas investment.
So far, CNN, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Ariana Huffington who is thefounder of the Huffington Post, The Economist’s Editor-in-Chief ZannyMinton Beddoes, The Financial Times, UBER CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Viacom CEOBob Bakish, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, CNBC and LA Times ownerPatrick Soon-Shiong have all announced that they won’t be attending orsponsoring the conference.