Why Dubai’s tech scene struggles - And how to fix it

I’ve interviewed a handful of this year, some of them being major players in the local market. If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: Product maturity in Dubai is lacking - not because of talent shortages, but because of misaligned hiring and leadership issues.

Let’s break it down.

The problem: Wrong people in the wrong roles

Dubai is filled with highly qualified professionals, but too often, they’re placed in the wrong roles, under the wrong leadership, or underutilized altogether.

• I’ve met Product Managers who don’t know what a product roadmap is.
• I’ve met UX Designers who shouldn’t be in UX.
• I’ve met CTOs and CPOs who landed in their roles either by nepotism, ownership, or complete accident.

This isn’t to say there aren’t companies with the right people in the right places.

It’s to focus on a major problem.

The real issue? HR doesn’t have clear hiring criteria, or they’re working with rigid salary brackets that filter out top talent. When they do manage to attract great talent, those employees often get sidelined by politics, bureaucracy, or the loudest voice in the room.

And that’s the real problem: Decisions aren’t driven by expertise, they’re driven by hierarchy. The HIPPO effect (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) dominates. Product, UX, and engineering take a backseat to sales, marketing, and gut-feel decision-making.

Dubai is a sales-driven market, not a product-driven one

The real power in Dubai’s tech scene right now isn’t in building software, it’s in selling it. The city thrives on importing, reselling, and branding software solutions rather than creating them.

This isn’t necessarily bad - it’s just a different model. But it does mean that:

1. Engineering & product roles take a backseat.
2. Tech debt is ignored until it’s a crisis.
3. Short-term growth wins over long-term strategy.

So where do I fit in?

I’ve spent enough time studying this landscape to see the real opportunity—not as someone trying to force a product-driven culture in a sales-driven market, but as someone who helps founders turn vision into execution.

I’ve realized that Dubai doesn’t lack for ideas—it lacks the ability to connect the right visionaries with the right teams. And that’s where I come in.

My role isn’t just about UX or product strategy. It’s about:

• Finding the right people.
• Bridging gaps between vision and execution.
• Helping startups structure their teams and processes correctly.
• Guiding businesses toward sustainable product development.

I don’t have a unicorn product idea - but I am great at taking ideas and making them a reality.

So, if you’re a founder with a vision but don’t know how to build it, or if you’re looking for someone who can connect the dots between business, product, and execution, let’s talk.

Dubai’s biggest challenge isn’t a lack of innovation - it’s a lack of alignment. Let’s change that.