ALJ: Not Just Another Desert Mirage

In the arid deserts of Saudi Arabia, a family company, ALJ, is making waves, and not just of the sandy kind. It might brand itself as a ‘75-year-old start-up,’ but oh, honey, this is no toddler finding its feet.

“Ride the wind,” goes an Arabic proverb. But honestly, in today’s mad, mad world, where is this proverbial wind coming from, and where is it going? The corporate world is a dizzying dance, and ALJ seems to have figured out the moves just right.

Abdul Latif Jameel, the company’s patriarch, might have started with a humble gas station, but now? ALJ’s got its fingers in pies ranging from electric vehicles to philanthropy. And here’s the cherry on top: two co-founders from their MIT research center snagged the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics. Talk about academic bling!

The Jameel siblings, Fady and Hassan, brought ALJ’s intriguing narrative to life in a rendezvous at McKinsey’s London sanctuary. They laughed about not making it to MIT like their dad but beamed about their collaborations with the prestigious institution.

Hassan, with his infectious humor, spoke of the labs they’ve endowed at MIT and their drive to shape a brighter, more inclusive future. And while Africa holds a special place for the Jameels, their reach, through endeavors like J-PAL, extends globally.

Here’s the tea, though: ALJ’s narrative is not just about making green (and I don’t just mean money). It’s about adding a touch of green to our blue planet. Profit? Sure, it’s an indicator. But for the Jameels, purpose holds court. As Hassan puts it, it’s not enough for a company to just chase the bottom line; it has to chase a meaningful storyline.

In essence, ALJ, with its deep Saudi roots and global dreams, isn’t just chasing winds. It’s orchestrating gusts, twirls, and breezes with a purpose, making the corporate dance look effortless and chic. Move over, wind riders; ALJ’s here with the compass.