Apple has reportedly paid the Saudi Arabian government $2.5 billion in cash to create jobs in its new headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
The company also paid $400 million to create a new cultural center in the kingdom, according to reports in Saudi daily newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat.
The news agency cited a source familiar with the deal, saying the government has allocated $3.4 billion in state funds for the construction of the Apple campus.
Apple, which has a large presence in the Gulf, has been heavily criticized for its treatment of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries during its decades-long crackdown on dissent.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said in February that the company has “no plans to change our culture.”
The Saudi government has already announced plans to build two new skyscrapers, the largest of which is set to open next year.
Saudi Arabia, which is the largest exporter of iPhones in the world, is a major US ally and the largest customer for Apple products.
It has a $4.5 trillion economy and exports more than $20 trillion worth of goods annually.
According to a 2015 report by the US Congressional Research Service, the Saudi government spends more than 3% of its budget on foreign aid and has a massive budget deficit.
Last month, the kingdom’s government said that the US would continue to allow more oil exports, which it said were needed to feed its burgeoning population.
