Tech

The Saudi Crown Prince hung out this week with Google execs Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai

Key Points
  • Photos show a handful of Google execs and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rubbing elbows during his visit to Silicon Valley this week.
  • The Prince also met with tech executives like Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz and Virgin founder Richard Branson.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Google co-founder Sergey Brin

Pics or it didn't happen.

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with a host of Silicon Valley executives this week, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz, and Virgin founder Richard Branson, photos show.

Widely known as "MBS," the Prince stopped by Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California to rub elbows with a handful of company leaders.

Here he is shaking hands with Hiroshi Lockheimer, the Google SVP who runs Android, Chrome, and other platforms, while CEO Sundar Pichai, Google's SVP of technical infrastructure, Urs Hölzle, and leader of Google's cloud business, Diane Greene, appear in the background.

Google Android exec Hiroshi Lockheimer shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at Google headquarters in April 2018.

He and Sergey Brin, Google's cofounder and current president of parent company Alphabet, also met. They discussed cloud computing and the establishment of a research and development center for Saudi youth, according to an Arabian news publication.

The chief executive of the world's largest energy company, Saudi Aramco, told CNBC last month that the company wanted to partner with the likes of Amazon and Google to build a tech hub in the kingdom.

No word on whether Google's other cofounder, Larry Page, showed up.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in April 2018.

The Prince also met with Rony Abovitz, CEO of augmented reality company Magic Leap.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman with Magic Leap founder Rony Abovitz

He apparently got his own demo of the extremely secretive product.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman tries on a pair of Magic Leap augmented reality goggles.

MBS also stopped by to chat with Virgin Group's Richard Branson and met with Apple CEO Tim Cook, too.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at Virgin Galactic with Richard Branson (middle) and an executive.

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While he may have received a warm reception from these tech leaders, not everyone was happy about bin Salman's visit.

Earlier this week people protested outside the Four Seasons Hotel where he was staying, arguing that Silicon Valley should not establish any kind of partnership with the Prince until Saudi Arabia ends its military intervention in Yemen.

Although MBS is known for being progressive, Saudi Arabia's government is still also known for being generally repressive, with laws punishing homosexuality and preventing women from traveling without male permission.