{"podcast":{"title":"Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge","slug":"made-in-dubai-with-spencer-lodge-1158354","podcast_index_feed_id":1158354,"rss_url":"https://spencerlodge.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://spencerlodge.tv/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/0/c/3/a/0c3a03e060af42aad959afa2a1bf1c87/podcast_artwork.png","author":"Spencer Lodge","episode_count":407,"summary":"Formerly the Unscripted Podcast with Spencer Lodge Join Spencer Lodge as he connects with the most fascinating personalities in Dubai. A city that rose from the desert sands to become one of the most ambitious, innovative and inspiring places on Earth. Behind its glittering skyline are people with stories just as extraordinary - pioneers, dreamers and doers who dared to turn bold visions into reality. Made in Dubai is where those stories are told. Hosted by Spencer Lodge, each episode is a front-row seat to conversations with the people shaping the UAE's future — from business leaders and record-breakers to cultural icons and creative disruptors. But this isn't just about their success. It's about the journey - the risks they took, the challenges they faced and the moments that defined them. It's about the unique magic of Dubai: a place where ambition meets opportunity, where cultures from around the world collide to create something truly special and where anything feels possible. Whether you're an entrepreneur searching for your next big move, someone curious about life in the UAE or simply in need of inspiration, Made in Dubai is your invitation to step inside this vibrant city…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T10:19:15.992091+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/made-in-dubai-with-spencer-lodge-1158354"},"episode":{"title":"#395: 45 Years, 7 Tech Waves & a $1.5 Billion IPO at 71 | Fayez Ibbini on Building Alpha Data, AI & Why Retirement is a Lie","slug":"395-45-years-7-tech-waves-a-1-5-billion-ipo-at-71-fayez-ibbini-on-building-alpha-data-ai-why-retirement-is-a-lie","published_at":"2026-04-27T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/made-in-dubai-with-spencer-lodge-1158354/395-45-years-7-tech-waves-a-1-5-billion-ipo-at-71-fayez-ibbini-on-building-alpha-data-ai-why-retirement-is-a-lie","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/made-in-dubai-with-spencer-lodge-1158354","url":"https://spencerlodge.libsyn.com/395-45-years-7-tech-waves-a-15-billion-ipo-at-71-fayez-ibbini-on-building-alpha-data-ai-why-retirement-is-a-lie","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/spencerlodge/Full_Audio_-_Fayez_Ibbini_-_Made_in_Dubai.mp3?dest-id=974060","summary":"He arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1981 when roads turned to soft sand and ceilings collapsed because villas were built with saltwater cement. He came for six months. He never left. Forty-five years later, he just took his company public at a $1.5 billion valuation and he's 71 years old with zero plans to stop. In this episode, Spencer sits down with Fayez Ibbini , founder of Alpha Data, one of the UAE's most enduring technology companies. From coding assembly language for the Kuwait Stock Exchange on 16-hour days, to pivoting from IBM mini-computers to PCs, to riding every wave from networking and the internet to cloud, mobile, big data, IoT and now AI . Fayez has been at the frontier of technology in this region for nearly half a century. But this isn't just a business story. It's a story about passion over comfort, about the cost of obsession, about what it really means to build something that outlasts you. He'll tell you that if you haven't started a business by 40, don't bother. That retirement was invented to push you out. That AI is not another wave - it's a tsunami. And that the most expensive lessons in business are almost always about people. Whether you're an entrepreneur at the start of your journey, a leader navigating the AI revolution, or someone who wonders what it looks like to still be curious and hungry at 71 . T his conversation will challenge everything you think you know about success, technology, and time. Timestamps: 00:00 – \"A golden cage\": why Fayez came for six months and stayed 45 years 01:28 – Abu Dhabi vs. Dubai and the mind-boggling speed of UAE transformation 06:34 – From electrical engineering to poultry imports to farming — finding what actually excites him 11:20 – Coding the Kuwait Stock Exchange in assembly language and the moment he realize…","meta_description":"He arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1981 when roads turned to soft sand and ceilings collapsed because villas were built with saltwater cement. He came for six mon…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4399,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/made-in-dubai-with-spencer-lodge-1158354/episodes/395-45-years-7-tech-waves-a-1-5-billion-ipo-at-71-fayez-ibbini-on-building-alpha-data-ai-why-retirement-is-a-lie/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/made-in-dubai-with-spencer-lodge-1158354/395-45-years-7-tech-waves-a-1-5-billion-ipo-at-71-fayez-ibbini-on-building-alpha-data-ai-why-retirement-is-a-lie.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}