Business Extra

At a pivotal time when social media platforms are undergoing significant shifts, Business Extra host Cody Combs sat down with influential businessman Gary Vaynerchuk – known to millions as Gary Vee – who is chairman of communications company VaynerX and chief executive of its subsidiary VaynerMedia. Starting out as a wine critic, Mr Vaynerchuk leveraged his knack for content creation and a deep un...

In this introductory episode of the Business Extra podcast, host Cody Combs delves into the evolution of the internet from its early days, the rise of social media and future prospects of platforms. For younger generations, the internet before the advent of social media is almost unimaginable. In contrast, older generations reminisce about the simpler times of the World Wide Web before the emergen...

As the saying goes, life isn’t all fun and games, or is it? That’s part of the idea behind Endless Studios, a youth-focused game-making studio and learning hub, which is also on a mission to empower students all over the world by enhancing access to technology and education. Endless also provides, devices, technology tools and even special operating systems to help children learn. On this episode,...

More than 700 government officials, international organisations, politicians, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs have been gathering for two days in Riyadh for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) special meeting to address the most important issues of the day and making an economy work for everyone. One of the topics discussed during the event was transport and shipping at a time when stakeholders a...

How can environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility come together? As the world commemorates the 54th Earth Day this week, host Cody Combs leads a discussion centred on the evolving role of an environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework in driving corporate strategies. Amy Lehoczky, director of ESG at G42, Abu Dhabi's leading artificial intelligence and cloud computing compa...

The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi is no stranger to motorsport memories. At the heart of those memories are usually big names such as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. But now, a new type of race, without humans behind the wheel, is about to take place. In this episode of the Business Extra podcast, host Cody Combs delves into the groundbreaking Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing Lea...

Start-up Striver, which has football as its focus, is hoping to leave its mark as the world’s first abuse-free social media platform.   In this episode of Business Extra, host Cody Combs sits down with Tim Chase, co-founder of Striver, and Gilberto Silva, a former footballer also and co-founder of the app.   They look at how social media has mirrored the enthusiasm of sport, while also, inadverten...

In today's fast-paced world, technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, and religious rituals are no different. And in Ramadan, Muslims around the world increase their engagement with faith through fasting, performing prayers at mosques and reading the Quran. From checking Iftar, Suhoor and daily prayer timings, to recitations, and remembrances, Muslims now depend on many apps to a...

It’s Ramadan, a time of reflection and renewal in all aspects of life. And though it might seem like quite the juxtaposition, the themes of reflection and renewal are not lost on technology – especially in an age of artificial intelligence. AI is testing our relationship with technology like never before. It’s offering endless possibilities; it’s also creating ample concern, often overshadowing th...

Ramadan is a time of reflection, solidarity and community. One of the core values of the month for Muslims is to gather with family members for big meals and to stay connected with them.   Yet, for millions of people living in conflict zones in the region, Ramadan is not the same as before and staying connected has become a lifeline.   A few months ago, the eSIM technology emerged as a game-change...

Never before have we had so much computing power so widely available. We have super computers, we have quantum computers and, yes, we have an unprecedented amount of data. It is all creating a perfect situation where we now have the ability to potentially make predictions, make progress and improve society like never before. In particular, data and computational sciences could be game changers for...

AI-generated deepfake videos and images often go viral, deceiving millions before the truth comes out, and even then, it keeps on circulating. In fact, 2023, according to one study, saw a record-setting number of AI incidents. Can anything be done amid a technological climate where it’s easier than ever to create deepfakes? The short answer is yes, and as we speak, researchers are finding ways to...

Since 2022, the ripple of artificial intelligence has turned into a tidal wave around the world, having an effect on almost all industries and areas of expertise, including finance and investing. Bloomberg, a leading global platform for business and financial information, has its own AI large language model. In this Business Extra episode from the World Governments Summit in Dubai, host Cody Combs...

Large language models, more commonly known as LLM, are the backbone of what makes artificial intelligence so intelligent. M42, Abu Dhabi's technology-enabled healthcare company, has designed a clinical generative AI LLM to serve as an assistant to doctors, patients, nursing staff and other health professionals. Since October 2023, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health has been helping with the eventual...

What do you do with a critical mass of talent yearning to make an entrepreneurial mark in the Middle East? That is the task faced by the UAE’s northern emirate of Sharjah. In particular, that is the task of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, or Sheraa, a government-backed organisation launched with a mandate to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the emirate. On this episode, host Cody Combs...

Does the world need another social network? Ayman Hariri, co-founder of Vero and son of former Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri, thinks so. Host Cody Combs talked to the co-founder of the ad-free, algorithm-free alternative to Facebook, TikTok and Twitter at Abu Dhabi Finance Week. They discussed the big plans for the platform this year and the tech start-up culture in the Mena region.

AI isn't going away, the metaverse is still showing signs of life, and cybersecurity concerns remain abundant. Just when you thought it was safe to enter 2024 on a clean technology slate, similar themes and a cast of technology characters are re-emerging from the previous year. Yet, not everything is the same. There are some early hints of what to expect, and some clues from tech products that off...

A new year is around the corner, and that particular time is always a great opportunity to look back and reflect. However, it's also essential to look ahead as well and understand the forces that will shape the coming year. 2024 promises to be a pivotal year, with major shifts in technology, political economy, and evolving factors. Host Cody Combs sits down with Sam Blatteis, co-founder and chief...

The Abu Dhabi Department of Energy will be moving into one of Masdar City’s net-zero buildings by the end of 2024, which shows the commitment to energy transition and a net-zero economy by 2050. Masdar City’s director of growth Steve Severance told Business Extra host Cody Combs on the sidelines of the Cop28 climate summit that city aims to be the world’s largest collection of net-zero buildings....

Manhat, an Emirati-founded start-up launched in 2019, wants to be among the first to introduce a new technology to generate fresh water from the ocean without using electricity. Emirati founder Saeed Alhassan told Business Extra host Cody Combs on the sidelines of the Cop28 climate summit that the start-up is using proprietary natural water distillation technology to speed up and capture the evapo...

Participants at Cop28 in Dubai are more adamant about cutting emissions this time, chief executive of Dynamic Planet Kristin Rechberger told Business Extra host Cody Combs in an interview on the sidelines of the climate summit. Ms Rechberger said there was a greater presence of nature-preserving pavilions at this Cop than at any previous climate summit. She also talked about green finance, blue fi...

Climate talks often conjure up images of smokestacks, car exhaust, and even aviation contrails. There’s also the mental image of endless climate meetings hosted by prominent politicians and policymakers. But what about Big Tech? What about the companies that paved the way for post-industrial prosperity around the world? What about the companies that many consider the new power brokers. On this cli...

The lives of 384 million people have been improved by more than 100 winners of the UAE’s Zayed Sustainability Awards over 15 years. This year’s award winners were announced at the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai. Business Extra podcast host Cody Combs sat down with two remarkable winners who are making a big impact as they promote sustainable and humanitarian development. Ahmed Sourani, winner of th...

In this episode of the Business Extra podcast, host Cody Combs interviews three young climate advocates from the UAE, Morocco and Mauritania. Recording from the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai, the climate advocates spoke about the different challenges in their communities, in addition to the work they do in reimagining the future of energy, examining the interplay between climate change and conflic...

In this episode of the Business Extra podcast, host Cody Combs interviews two young environmental game-changers from Lebanon and Jordan, exploring the pivotal moments that ignited their commitment to advocating for the environment in their countries. The conversation took place at the heart of the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai, where tens of thousands of people are gathering from November 30 until...