Neom is set to host hyper-futuristic cityscapes and structures — but financial pressures on the kingdom are changing.

Neom CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr has exited the company amid allegations that workers have died and gone missing while working on the Saudi Vision 2030 project.

Long hailed as a city of the future, Neom serves as the focal point of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious Vision 2030 economic pivot from oil exports, envisioned as a sprawling urban, tourist, and industrial hub on the Red Sea.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that it was replacing the chief executive of its futuristic mega-city NEOM

Nasr, the long-time chief executive of the $500 billion NEOM mega-project at the heart of Saudi Arabia's drive to diversify away from oil, has departed, NEOM said on Tuesday without giving a reason. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,

Saudi Arabia replaced the executive that was overseeing its plan to build the $1.5 trillion futuristic development known as Neom, in the latest sign that the project is struggling to deliver on its ambitions.

The departure of the longtime CEO marks a major shakeup at Neom, which is a showpiece of Riyadh’s economic ambitions.