Building a Tech Industry in Syria From Scratch

Some 700 people attended a recent tech conference in Damascus, Syria. Most were Syrian and Syrian-American. Due to the war and sanctions, Syria’s tech industry has been largely isolated for years. The country continues to struggle with basic services such as electricity. Greg Myre/NPR hide caption toggle caption Greg Myre/NPR Recently a few hundred people gathered at a Damascus hotel to discuss how to jump-start Syria’s tech industry. That sector was basically non-existent during Syria’s long civil war. Our correspondent attended the conference and met a young man who fled Syria during the civil war and now is a graduate student at Stanford. His journey illustrates both the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead for Syria. Sponsor Message