Mohammed bin Salman on The Line (NEOM)

Mohammed bin Salman, in his capacity as Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors, first announced THE LINE in January 2021 as a 'revolution in urban living' and a cornerstone of Saudi Vision 2030. He positioned the 170km linear development as a direct answer to modern urban challenges like pollution, traffic, and human congestion, aiming for zero cars, zero streets, and zero carbon emissions while preserving 95% of NEOM's nature. He has personally claimed the concept of dual, upwardly-growing skyscrapers was his contribution, suggesting he is actively involved in its design direction and is determined to prove skeptics wrong about its feasibility.

Despite this strong initial backing and subsequent announcements detailing the city's designs, which project a population of nine million residents, there have been reports indicating that the scale of the project is being reviewed and potentially scaled back due to financial considerations and high expenditures. These reports suggest a course correction is underway to be more conservative with funds, though commitment to the project remains a stated government priority as part of the diversification strategy away from oil dependency.