Apple CEO Tim Cook and several other members of Apple leadership visited yesterday with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the company’s new Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino. The visit included a trip to the Steve Jobs Theater, and was attended by Saudi ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid bin Salman and members of the Crown Prince’s delegation.
Last week, a report revealed the itinerary of Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the United States, where a visit with Tim Cook had been scheduled among other meetings with notable names in technology including Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Peter Thiel. The Crown Prince’s tour also included visits with several political figures, including Donald Trump and former president Barack Obama.
While at Apple Park, Tim Cook and the Crown Prince discussed a variety of topics and joint projects, including app development in Saudi Arabia. The meeting also focused on ways to enrich Arabic education curriculums, and job opportunities for Saudi youth who wish to be trained at Apple’s campus. The talks come not long after Apple’s recent education event in Chicago, where the company reiterated their dedication to providing schools with the best digital tools.
During the visit, presentations were given to the Crown Prince’s delegation on education, health, marketing, and Apple’s “voice applications.” The meeting also comes at a time when many in Saudi Arabia are hopeful that Apple will soon open their first retail stores in the country. In December, it was reported that Apple and Saudi officials were nearing an agreement that could see retail stores open as soon as 2019. The Crown Prince has reportedly been actively engaged in welcoming technology businesses to the country. Apple’s SVP of retail Angela Ahrendts opted to attend the meeting over the opening of the company’s new store in Tokyo yesterday, perhaps signifying the importance the visit to Apple’s future retail efforts. Other Apple executives in attendance included COO Jeff Williams and VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson.
More photos from the visit are below:
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