A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ALYSON SHONTELL

Ibrahim had been visiting a rural neighboring area without any internet connectivity—something he hopes a new deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink will resolve.

We met at a wellness resort he likes to visit, The Banjaran, which is built on top of a hot springs that creates natural saunas in limestone caves. I have to admit when I joined Fortune as editor two years ago, I did not envision a trip to the Malaysia jungle—but it made for a fun place to have a wide-ranging conversation.

A lot is weighing on Ibrahim. After a 25-year path to the top, which involved a decade in jail for bogus charges, Ibrahim has had lots of time to think about how to save his country from corruption, racism, and an economic slump.

He recently announced his 10-year vision, the Madani Economy, which hinges on convincing foreign companies to bring high-paying jobs to Malaysia and clearing obstacles for them to make it a good place to do business—including ensuring them that he will stay in power a full term.

He recently convinced Elon Musk of just that, and announced a deal to bring Starlink and Tesla into Malaysia, over a competing bid from neighboring Indonesia.

Check out the full conversation with Ibrahim, below, as well as a follow-up interview from my colleague Maiwen Zhang, here.

FEATURES

Promoting your ex-CEO to executive chairman is a recipe for trouble. So why are so many companies making that mistake?

Disney’s bumpy ride under Bob Iger and Bob Chapek shows the downsides of moving a veteran CEO into the chairman position.

TECH

A.I.’s un-learning problem: Researchers say it’s virtually impossible to make an A.I. model ‘forget’ the things it learns from private user data

It’s impossible to remove a user’s data from a trained A.I. model. Deleting the model entirely is also difficult—and there’s little regulation to enforce either option.

Elon Musk’s X now wants your biometric data, as well as your job and education history for ‘safety, security, and identification purposes’

The new policy also includes plans to use user data to train its artificial intelligence systems.

Tech elites are so fed up with San Francisco, they’ve already invested nearly $1 billion to build their very own city

Tech heavyweights are planning their own enclaves—following a long tradition among wealthy Americans.

FINANCE

Exclusive: Peter Thiel explains his decision not to fund any presidential candidates in 2024

“They will convince people or they will not convince people. And an extra $1 million or $10 million does not make any difference,” the billionaire investor told Fortune.

Mortgage lenders are bleeding money. Here’s why

Lenders reported a net loss of $534 per mortgage origination in the second quarter of 2023.

China’s $18 trillion economy has indigestion—and the factory of the world could export its deflation and growth problems globally

If China’s economic woes continue, it could signal a “new era” for global growth.

Warren Buffett just turned 93. From ‘cigar butt’ investing to buying ‘wonderful businesses,’ here’s how he led a 3,787,464% return at Berkshire Hathaway

A look back at the 70-plus-year career of the Oracle of Omaha, from his start as a value investor to transforming Berkshire into a giant.

LEADERSHIP

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s brutal message to remote workers refusing to come back to the office: ‘It’s probably not going to work out for you’ 

Jassy reportedly told staff: “It’s past the time to disagree and commit.”

CRYPTO

Court sides with Grayscale in closely watched Bitcoin ETF case

The long-awaited decision has huge implications for Bitcoin and ETF markets.

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