It is hard to think of a company that has more effect on our daily lives than Google. Even going to Google’s Mena headquarters in Dubai involves quite a lot of, well, Google.
I send an email – using Gmail, of course – to head of communications for the Google in Mena, Joyce Baz, telling her that I’m setting off.
I put the office’s Dubai Internet City address into Google Maps, and get into my car – which, if Google gets its way, a decade from now will be one that drives itself.
Out of Google’s 70,000 employees working in 40 countries, about 150 are in Dubai – there are 31 nationalities and 40 per cent of them are women. The office was opened with a staff of five in 2008.
In reception, with walls that are decorated with Arabic newspapers, I first check in to a machine before I can enter the offices. It tells me firmly not to discuss or share any confidential information I might see or hear during my visit. No video is to be taken, nor photos of the open offices.
These rules might seem a little paranoid, but the stakes are high in the ultra-competitive tech sector. Google is involved in a US lawsuit accusing Uber of stealing trade secrets.
"There are access controls and confidentiality agreements, as with any tech company," says Jordanian "Googler" Najeeb Jarrar.
"We also want to keep that element of surprise and delight for the users, so details aren’t leaked."
Mr Jarrar, who is head of consumer marketing, was based at the company’s US headquarters before moving to the Dubai office in 2014.
"Even though you see the pictures beforehand, you still get a shock when you first walk into the Googleplex," he says. "I used to live in San Francisco and we had shuttle buses with free Wi-Fi to take us to the campus – that was revolutionary back then."
Mr Jarrar recalls the free laundry service and invitations to talks by visiting movie stars. But the best perk, he says, was the calibre of his colleagues.
"I had an engineer sitting opposite me who had an Oscar for visual effects on his desk, and we had a couple of astronauts in the office as well.
"In my entire career at Google, I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve met who did not impress me," he says.
Google hires its employees based on their "Googliness", which seems to mean different things to different employees. For Ms Baz, it means being humble, fun and taking ownership of your work.
Lino Cattaruzzi, who is managing director for the Mena region, says Googliness is unique.
"I’ve been with the company for some years and only now do I fully understand what it is. To a certain extent, it’s how likely you are to thrive in our culture. We are open and there are a number of values that we stand behind."
Rather than being glued to a screen, as you might expect at a tech company, most of the Googlers I see as I walk around the office are engaged in group video conferences. These Dubai staffers mostly resemble young students, dressed as they are in jeans and trainers, according to Google’s flexible dress code and starting time policy.
Google’s Dubai offices are smaller than the Googleplex – although there are expansion plans – but staff still get their fair share of perks.
One of Ms Baz’s favourites happens twice a week, when Google brings in therapists to massage their employees in a specially decked-out room. Massage credits are given out as reward points to staff, Ms Baz.
"On your birthday you get extra massage points," she says.
"For people who aren’t very ergonomic in the way they sit, all they need is their back cracking – it makes such a difference."
There is also a nap room, although Mr Cattaruzzi hastily tells me that he does not expect staff to come to work and sleep for hours.
"But if you’re tired and you want to take a 60-minute nap, we have no issue. Sometimes we work really hard, and being able to take a quality break makes a big difference."
The office decor is locally influenced, from a display of Emirati Russian doll ornaments, to the naming of all the many video conferencing rooms after Arabic cartoon characters.
In the belief that creativity can be sparked by a change of scenery, aside from the assigned office desks there are plenty of collaborative areas, featuring children’s play equipment, exercise balls and standing desks.
The layout means that junior staff sit next to senior people.
"It’s important for the senior staff to showcase how they reached a decision, which is a great learning opportunity for the juniors," Mr Jarrar says.
Although the Dubai office lacks its own gym, off-site memberships are reimbursed. Yoga is offered on alternate Sundays.
In the games room, a group of Googlers are enjoying a game of table football. "Sometimes it gets so loud in here on a Thursday afternoon, I can’t hear myself," Ms Baz says.
There is also a range of retro video games, including Mr Cattaruzzi’s favourite, Pac-Man.
"My eight-year-old son only wants to come here to play with me on that," he says.
The underlying principle behind all these perks is not just to keep staff happy, but to help them concentrate on work, Mr Cattaruzzi says.
"We remove the worries, so instead of having to think about where you’re going to have lunch, the food is here. We can also give you cooking lessons. It goes way beyond just coming to work to do your job – you belong to a community."
The Google cafeteria, Arabesque, plays lounge music and has a selection of free, nutritious meals, including fish, coconut water, a salad bar and dark chocolate. There are two stocked micro-kitchens for use during breaks.
It must be tempting for employees to smuggle food out for home and Ms Baz says: "We don’t stop them. But people know that this is for use at the office."
Hala Ajil, an Iraqi-British YouTube partner manager, says she gained weight while working in the London office because she used to eat chocolate all day.
"But in Dubai, the lifestyle is more crazy-fitness, so I wake up at 5am and go to the gym at 6am, and I love all the healthy food."
It’s not surprising, then, that she loves her job. "It’s cosy, hectic, crazy, fun, and I actually really like it," she says. "I wake up in the morning and I’m excited to come to work – and not many people can say that."
_____
Besides the core online advertising business, here are some initiatives that Google’s Dubai office is working on:
Supporting Arabic content on the web
From apps to online video and e-books, Google is playing its part in encouraging more Arabic content on the web. There are now more than 10,000 books in Arabic on the Google Play store, with the amount of Arabic content uploaded online growing by 40 per cent last year. A designated Youtube studio is opening later this year in Dubai Studio City which will support the production of more Arabic videos.
Getting historical landmarks on Google Maps/Street View
Google has so far captured five major landmarks in the region on Street View: Burj Khalifa (2013), Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi (2014), Giza Pyramids (2014), Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi (2014) and Petra (2015). They’ve also put the first Street View trekker on a camel. With the exception of Abu Dhabi, Google has captured street-level imagery of six emirates.
Building digital skills for the future
Google has an ongoing coding programme, Computer Science First, in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council. More than 200,000 students have so far taken the basic coding class in schools. They also have an innovation hub in Ras Al Khaimah.
Mentoring start-ups
Google launched an Entrepreneurs Tech Hub in 2014 with Astrolabs, supporting 80 startups from 46 nationalities. Last year, more than 4,000 entrepreneurs were trained at Astrolabs.
Empowering women on YouTube
Female content is one of the fastest growing verticals on YouTube in MENA, growing by 75 per cent last year. Google recently launched a YouTube hub called Batala, (a female hero in movies), to promote female-led content.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The years Ramadan fell in May
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%2C%20Manal%20Khader%2C%20Amer%20Daher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The%20trailblazers
%3Cp%3ESixteen%20boys%20and%2015%20girls%20have%20gone%20on%20from%20Go-Pro%20Academy%20in%20Dubai%20to%20either%20professional%20contracts%20abroad%20or%20scholarships%20in%20the%20United%20States.%20Here%20are%20two%20of%20the%20most%20prominent.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeorgia%20Gibson%20(Newcastle%20United)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20reason%20the%20academy%20in%20Dubai%20first%20set%20up%20a%20girls%E2%80%99%20programme%20was%20to%20help%20Gibson%20reach%20her%20potential.%20Now%20she%20plays%20professionally%20for%20Newcastle%20United%20in%20the%20UK.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMackenzie%20Hunt%20(Everton)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAttended%20DESS%20in%20Dubai%2C%20before%20heading%20to%20the%20UK%20to%20join%20Everton%20full%20time%20as%20a%20teenager.%20He%20was%20on%20the%20bench%20for%20the%20first%20team%20as%20recently%20as%20their%20fixture%20against%20Brighton%20on%20February%2024.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
more from Janine di Giovanni
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Godzilla%20x%20Kong%3A%20The%20New%20Empire
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdam%20Wingard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBrian%20Tyree%20Henry%2C%20Rebecca%20Hall%2C%20Dan%20Stevens%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
More on Quran memorisation:
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neo%20Mobility%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20February%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abhishek%20Shah%20and%20Anish%20Garg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Delta%20Corp%2C%20Pyse%20Sustainability%20Fund%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
