Podcast Summary: Behind the Bastards

Episode: Part Two — Prince Mohammed Bin Salman: The Tyrant of Saudi Arabia

Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Robert Evans (often using the pseudonym Brett Weinstein here)
Guest: David Bell

Overview of the Episode's Main Theme

This episode continues the deep-dive exploration of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler, tracing his upbringing, the peculiar dynamics of Saudi royal succession, and the early life experiences that shaped his personality and leadership style. The hosts dissect the unique contradictions of immense inherited privilege mixed with acute familial insecurity, dysfunctional systems of power and patronage in Saudi Arabia, and hints of the ruthlessness that would later define MBS’s reign.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Saudi State's Oil Dependency and Welfare Structure

• Saudi Arabia is described as a state catastrophically dependent on oil revenue (Aramco comprising 80% of state spending by the 1980s).
• The government employs about two-thirds of Saudi men, mostly in nominal roles—essentially a welfare system meant to "bribe" the male populace and prevent unrest.
• Creative, poorly-thought-out benefit systems led to bizarre incentives—such as salary “bumps” for trivial skills—and policies that actively discouraged hiring Saudi nationals in some sectors ([04:22]–[07:30]).
• Quote:
  “Most of the state jobs they have are lifetime gigs. They exist as a form of welfare—they’re a way for the House of Saud to bribe enough of the free male population to ensure there’s never too much unrest.” – Brett ([04:27])

2. MBS’s Family Background and Early Upbringing

• MBS is the eldest son of Prince Salman’s second wife—thus part of his father’s “B family,” with a lower internal status and fewer privileges than his siblings from the first marriage ([07:57]–[13:05]).
• Raised in lavish, insular palaces, mostly surrounded by servants, nannies, bodyguards—people who could not discipline him meaningfully.
• Quote:
  “That’s how you make a monster… if a group of people were like, ‘Hey, you know what would be funny? If we made a monster?’ That sounds like what you would do.” – David ([09:36])

3. Isolation, Status Anxiety, and Sibling Rivalry

• MBS and his siblings suffered bullying from the “A family” half-brothers; he developed an inferiority complex despite immense privilege.
• His mother worked to get her children more “face time” with their father, engineering visits to the “White House” palace.
• Quote:
  “[He] grows up with the distinct impression that his dad was prioritizing his first family—because he was.” – Brett ([18:01])

4. Privilege and Peculiar Hardships

• MBS had a $500/month allowance as a fourth grader—a pittance compared to wealthier cousins’ $5,000/week ([17:13]).
• The “B family” stayed at luxury hotels, not the family palace, when abroad—a symbolic slight that nurtured resentment ([17:38]).
• Quote:
  “It’s again, perfect storm. It’s like you have so much privilege, but also like the weird anger of someone who doesn’t feel like they do.” – David ([18:11])

5. Emotional Development and Socialization

• MBS grew up with constant reminders of dynastic violence (family members killing one another), reinforcing callous attitudes toward power ([14:46]).
• He was socially awkward, initially shy (afraid to perform in a school play) and retreated into video games—the only permissible entertainment not yet banned by the religious police ([15:59]).
• Still has his original Neo Geo console in his palace bedroom ([16:20]).

6. Insights from a British Tutor

• Rashid Sakai, his English tutor, provides rare third-party insight—describes MBS as top dog within his immediate family but awkward in the larger familial hierarchy ([25:20], [26:17]).
• MBS enjoyed pranking, often using his privilege to tease staff via walkie-talkie during lessons ([26:52]–[27:13]).
• The royal household was “jaw-dropping”—even for a so-called “poorer” palace ([21:21]).

7. Adolescence: Petty Crime, Reckless Behavior, and Early Business Ventures

• MBS’s adolescence rife with stunts and risky behaviors: preferring the most extravagant cars, totaling a Lamborghini at 16 ([31:26]–[32:03]).
• Developed a fiery temper and keen jealousy of richer relations—wired for both vengeance and imitation.
• Early failed attempts at business (asphalt imports, day-trading)—he quickly lost his first $100,000 ([41:58]).
• Fails mattered little; the cushion of wealth allowed endless respawns.

8. Learning from His Father and Familial Loss

• The deaths of two older half-brothers thrust MBS into a position to grow close with his father; he started accompanying him at work, learning about wielding power, and observing Salman’s use of patronage and “cousin jail” as disciplinary tools ([33:35]–[36:30]).
• Quote:
  “It’s like any family – you blackmail the rest of your family.” – David ([36:17])

9. Building Bonds, Cultivating Power, and the Father of the Bullet

• MBS performed the role of patriotic prince to his father while throwing wild parties and breaking religious rules with his peers ([37:54]–[38:10]).
• Exhibited both cunning and pettiness—sending a bullet to a landowner who refused to sell, earning the nickname “Abu Rasala” (Father of the Bullet) ([50:41]).
• Quote:
  “Whether true or false, the anecdote earned him the name Abu Rasala, the father of the bullet, within the royal family.” – Brett ([50:41])

10. Climbing the Ladder Through Nepotism and Ruthlessness

• Eventually amasses wealth through real estate speculation, aggressive (and sometimes slightly comical) strong-arm tactics, and insider trading.
• Enjoyed a privileged track into public office, heading councils and programs, typically in posts designed for patronage ([47:50]).
• Close relationship with his father as his father becomes King in 2015—a transition marked by prior “bloodless” agreements to limit succession drama.
• Sets the stage for MBS’s later, more violent power plays (to be covered in Part 3).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She was a great cat.” – Brett, jokingly paralleling gratitude for podcast participation with thanks for cat-sitting, setting the tone for irreverent banter ([01:28]).
• “You should know that you could get a smack from somebody…a classmate, some guy at the bar—that's important for people.” – Brett, on why MBS’s inability to be challenged shaped his personality ([10:25]).
• “It’s a world exclusively built for him. He’s living on the holodeck.” – David ([10:11])
• “If you gave me $500 as a fourth grader and brought me to the mall, I would die.” – David, mocking the relative “poverty” MBS felt ([17:13])
• “He’s doing a great job at being a shitty rich kid—he’s nailing it.” – David, summarizing MBS’s youthful persona ([39:21])
• “My son made millions for the family as a result of this…even though, again, it doesn’t work out.” – Brett, exposing the hollow nature of MBS’s “successes” ([53:11])
• "Mail me a bullet. If enough people mail me a bullet, I'll have a shitload of bullets. I have no guns, but, yeah." – David, in a closing moment of dark humor ([57:11–57:18])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Saudi oil dependency and labor system explained: [04:22]–[07:41]
• Early life, family hierarchy, and the 'B family': [07:57]–[13:05]
• Bullying and stories of royal treachery: [12:57]–[14:54]
• MBS’s childhood, shyness, video games: [15:23]–[16:34]
• Allowance, financial envy, “palace poverty”: [17:13]–[18:19]
• Insight from tutor Rashid Sakai: [25:20]–[29:26]
• Adolescent behavior: luxury cars, pranks, failed business deals: [31:26]–[43:25]
• Deaths in the family and increased proximity to power: [33:14]–[36:30]
• How MBS forged alliances and partied at home and abroad: [37:54]–[38:50]
• Early real estate hustles and “Father of the Bullet” story: [50:41]–[51:54]
• Transition to power and family succession intrigue: [53:35]–[55:58]

Tone & Style

• Conversational, darkly humorous, and irreverent: Hosts maintain playful banter even as they discuss serious and sometimes gruesome topics.
• Deeply skeptical of royal self-mythologizing and “bootstrap” narratives: The hosts consistently undermine any notion of meritocracy in MBS’s life story.
• Accessible analogies: Frequent comparisons to pop culture (Simpsons, GTA) and self-deprecating jokes about privilege.

Flow and Utility

This episode paints a vivid, often damning portrait of MBS's formative years, stressing how a combination of isolation, unearned privilege, familial slights, and violent dynastic tradition helped shape a ruler renowned for both bold reforms and brutality. The hosts’ irreverence and use of pop-culture analogies make this a particularly accessible entry point for those unfamiliar with Saudi history or royal intrigue.

For listeners seeking to understand how Mohammed bin Salman became one of the world's most notorious modern autocrats, this episode lays clear the psychological, familial, and political groundwork for his rise—a story of privilege that bred resentment, and insecurity that bred ruthlessness.