Saudi Arabia appoints Apple's Wozniak as tech ambassador

The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) has named Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as an ambassador for the creation of a “Saudi Tech Hub.”

Saud Bin Abdulla Al-Qahtani, the head of the federation and an adviser to the Royal Court, presented Wozniak with a special certificate marking the occasion on Friday, during the finale of the three-day Hajj Hackathon in Jeddah.

Al-Qahtani said the appointment of Wozniak reflects the federation’s desire to work with the best minds in the sector to help the Kingdom become the region’s technology hub.

“Perhaps the greatest evidence of the scale of these technical transformations in today’s world is that a company such as Apple has become the first public company in the world with a market value of one trillion dollars,” he added. “We are happy that its co-founder has agreed to be an ambassador to the Saudi Technical Hub.

“The huge interest in the technical and technological sectors is reflected in the general plans of the state, as it is one of the main objectives pursued by the Kingdom in its Vision 2030 under the supervision, follow-up and direct support of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”

Al-Qahtani thanked Wozniak for accepting the role of ambassador and his enthusiasm for it, describing him as one of the most important modern minds, who has helped to change the history of the world.

Wozniak said he was happy to accept the SAFCSP offer, explaining that he had been persuaded to do so by the remarkable development he has seen in Saudi Arabia’s approach to technology, which strengthens the nation’s vision for the sector. He said the success of this week’s Hajj Hackathon reflected the great interest among Saudis in programming and emerging technologies. There is every chance, he added, that Saudi Arabia will play an important role in the evolving and changing global technology community, and that that the country could soon be the main tech hub in the region.

Vision 2030 is fascinating, Wozniak said, adding that he is a fan and follower of the NEOM “city of the future” project in particular, which he described as an amazing idea.

“This is a remarkable success story in Saudi Arabia that can be written in the near future and will be an example to be followed internationally,” he said, adding that he is happy to support this by becoming a tech ambassador.