A senior executive who works for Google's parent company and a former US secretary of energy have dropped out of the NEOM business advisory board following international outcry over the disappearance and alleged murder of a dissident Saudi journalist. 

Members mentioned in the announcement included famed tech industry investor Marc Andreessen; Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet's urban planning unit Sidewalk Labs; Travis Kalanick, ex-CEO of Uber; former European Commission vice president Neelie Kroes; ex-Dow Chemical Company CEO Andrew Liveris, and Silicon Valley investor Sam Altman.

But following inquiries from journalists, members have started distancing themselves from the project.  Ernest Moriz and Dan Doctoroff have cited the recent disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as their reason for distancing themselves from the project - although there seems to be some confusion as to whether Dan Doctoroff was ever slated to be involved.

Read the full story at Business Insider