From Ride-Hailing to Air Taxis: Abdul Latif Jameel Bets on the Future of Saudi Mobility
Within months of each other, Abdul Latif Jameel signed memorandums of understanding with two of the most prominent mobility companies in the world — Uber and Joby Aviation. Together, the deals outline a vision of Saudi Arabia as a test market for next-generation transportation: autonomous vehicles on the ground and electric aircraft in the sky.
Hassan Jameel signed the Uber agreement personally, alongside Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, during a ceremony attended by Saudi Transport Minister Saleh Al-Jasser. The deal aims to build a next-generation fleet operations platform covering both traditional ride-hailing and autonomous vehicles, with a target of creating 30,000 earning opportunities for Saudi nationals.
The Joby Partnership
“Saudi Arabia is transitioning toward a new era of mobility — one that is on-demand, shared, connected, and sustainable,” Hassan said when announcing the Joby agreement. “eVTOL is an exciting and important component of this.”
The MoU with Joby covers the potential delivery of up to 200 electric aircraft and related services valued at approximately $1 billion over coming years. Joby’s aircraft carry four passengers at speeds up to 200 mph, producing a fraction of the noise of helicopters and zero operating emissions. The Jameel family had previously invested in Joby’s Series C funding round.
A Long History of Backing Disruption
ALJ was Rivian’s first major investor in 2012, well before Ford and Amazon entered the picture. Hassan has described that investment as a deliberate decision to “be part of the disruption in mobility” rather than wait to be disrupted. The Uber and Joby deals follow the same logic: identify where transportation is going, build the local infrastructure to support it, and position Saudi Arabia as a proving ground.
Khosrowshahi called Saudi Arabia “a hugely important market to Uber” and said the company’s goal is to make its platform the best environment for autonomous vehicle technology. JoeBen Bevirt, Joby’s founder and CEO, said the collaboration was about “bringing America’s leadership in electric air mobility to the world.”