According to the exposé by ITV, more than 21,000 Indian, Bangladeshi, and Nepalese workers have died in Saudi Arabia since 2017 working on various aspects of Saudi Vision 2030. And according to The Hindustan Times, reports show that more than 100,000 people have “disappeared”during NEOM’s construction.
One of those Australian executives, Wayne Borg, was accused of making several racist comments about laborers. After three workers died from a falling pipe, a wall collapse, and the mishandling of explosives, Borg said over obtained audio: “A whole bunch of people die so we’ve got to have a meeting on a Sunday night.”
That last quote sounds like something a Borg would say. Resistance is futile.
Although I do find the idea of arcologies intriguing, building one on death, slavery, and other human rights abuses really taints it.