If you’ve ever shied away from a 15-hour-long audiobook, wishing you could get the information in a more bite-sized format, there’s an app for that. Queen Rania Al Abdullah visited the offices of a technology startup that solves this problem by giving Arabic speakers summaries of nonfiction books from around the world.
The Jordanian queen stopped by the offices of tech startup Wajeez on 16 August where she learned more about the popular mobile application. Since 2020 the app has registered more than 1.2 million downloads to date, with a user base of more than 800,000 people across the Middle East and North Africa.
Her Majesty was welcomed to the startup’s offices in Amman by its co-founders, Mohammad Zatara and Rami Abu Jbara, who shared the story behind the app.
The pair launched an online bookstore in 2014 known as Faylasoof, but in 2020 decided to take a new direction and launched Wajeez. The book-summarizing service enables Arabic-speaking users to read or listen to convenient 15-minute summaries of global and local textbooks and non-fiction bestsellers.
Wearing a face mask along with a summery navy-and-white skirt and a crisp white blouse, Queen Rania spent time touring Wajeez’s offices and meeting employees. The company currently employs 40 Jordanian full-time staff, as well as a network of approximately 500 freelancers.
Paid subscribers have access to more than 3,000 audio and text-based summaries of non-fiction titles through the Wajeez library, and a new book summary is also released free every day for users. The app also features access to summaries of more than 50 popular podcasts.
“It’s always inspiring to hear from young Jordanians who have turned their ideas into successful realities,” Queen Rania shared on her Instagram account. “From my meeting today with the team behind Wajeez mobile app, a book-summarizing service that has built a wide user base in record time.”
