Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is a prominent Saudi investor and philanthropist, best known as the founder and majority shareholder of Kingdom Holding Company. His fortune is built on strategic investments across real estate, stocks, media, and hospitality. A long-time backer of social media, he has invested in platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat, and, as of 2025, became the second-biggest shareholder in Elon Musk’s AI firm, xAI. Known for his wide-ranging philanthropy via Alwaleed Philanthropies, he made headlines for a pledge to donate his fortune to charity, including funding initiatives for Christian-Muslim understanding at Georgetown University. In November 2017, he was detained during Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption sweep but was released in January 2018 after an undisclosed financial settlement. In March 2025, his social media follower count on X reached 15 million.