Podcast · Tech & Science

The Geeky Nomads

by Yasser Masood and Gazanfarulla Khan · English · Tech & Science

Why should all tech news be just focused on the USA/Canada/Australia/European regions? That's what The Geeky Nomads have set out to change. Meet Yasser Masood and Gazanfarulla Khan (third-culture millennials born in Dubai and Doha, hailing from Hyderabad), based between the USA and Qatar who want to

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 55 min
Latest: 10 Jul 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

10 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

Summer 2026 tech and digital news in MENA region: UAE's social media regulation, Meta's product releases, FIFA World Cup 2026 on social media, Google's new search boost for creators, and more

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 was underway, Khan jetted off to Vancouver to support Team Qatar's journey. With the summer being quiet, we've seen it's still business as usual with announcements. We decided to pull off another episode in the air (counting this as our 6th one), especially as we crunched what's relevant to the MENA region from all the announcements. Another milestone for the podcast just one year later UAE being first in the Middle East to regulate social media for teenagers Meta's hunger for more subscriptions, now with their "Plus" options alongside Meta Verified More of Meta:…

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Earlier episodes 16 most recent

S3 · E1 · 1 Jun 2026 · 55 min
Starting off 2026: current regional conflict and latest tech news for the MENA region (WHOOP, Google IO, Apple Sports app, and more)
After a few months of a quiet period due to the current geopolitical tensions and challenges in the Middle East region, we're back with our new season right up in the air. What do we have lined up? SpaceX's Starlink saw a rollout to additional markets during the regional conflict Impact of the data centers from AWS to Google Cloud WHOOP is going big in the Middle East region Takeaways from the Google IO 2026, unveiling what's coming to the MENA region Sports fans following their favourite sports/leagues should check out the Apple Sports app , especially with the upcoming FIFA World Cup Plus,…
S2 · E11 · 22 Dec 2025 · 55 min
Year in Review: Middle East's headlines while Flying High
As 2025 crawls to its conclusion, we look back on the whole season with the Middle East grabbing plenty of headlines spanning three major countries. What better way to reflect than with another episode at 36,000ft up in the air featuring our c-host. With the whole focus on AI and even branching out to mergers/acquisitions, there hasn't been a quiet period at all. Yet, there are some surprises that have crept in as well including Qatar joining their neighbor's ranks with their own efforts related to AI and many more. With the podcast, it's been a significant step-up as we brought on guests…
S2 · E10 · 12 Dec 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
Tech Giants Rushing Into Saudi Arabia with Sami Fathi
Sami Fathi's love for tech and writing began as an editor to the popular Apple news site ⁠MacRumors in 2021⁠ , making him one of the few Arabs (even quite a young one) to publish for a global and popular site covering the latest rumors/announcements on Apple while residing in Saudi Arabia. Since leaving the role in January 2023, he's become a prominent tech commentator and Apple observer via his ⁠X account⁠ and publishing on ⁠Cupertino Lens⁠ , while also representing Saudi Arabia internationally on behalf of ⁠MISK⁠ . With 2025 being a major year that saw many tech announcements made for and…
S2 · E9 · 14 Nov 2025 · 52 min
The latest from Web Summit Lisbon 2025
Gazanfarulla Khan travels from Doha, Qatar to Lisbon, Portugal to attend the 10th edition of Web Summit Lisbon - the main anchor event among all the Web Summit chapters held throughout the year. Along with highlighting the Lisbon event's significance, the focus for the event has still been on AI and alongside the growing demands for it across industries. With more than 71,000 attendees also including representation of women in startups, Khan even chimes in on the intersection of technology and Formula 1. As the calendar year draws to a close, Qatar is also set to host WSJ Tech Live Qatar and…
S2 · E8 · 8 Sep 2025 · 1 hr 22 min
Untapped Power of Personal Branding in the MENA region with Sabine Kühn
Personal branding has been growing in places like the USA/Canada and Europe, and the MENA region is slowly seeing a shift in embracing it. South Asians and Arabs believe their social standing is completely tethered to a fancy job title and/or prominent business brand. We've invited Sabine Kuhn - founder of Talent and Truth, a boutique personal branding consultancy dedicated to building high-impact executive brands on LinkedIn and beyond - to expand and dive into the shift and trends of personal branding by professionals in the region. If you're looking to elevate and enhance your personal…
S2 · E7 · 17 Jul 2025 · 54 min
Let's recap Web Summit Vancouver 2025
Fellow tech enthusiasts! We're bringing you along on our journey to the first-ever Web Summit in Vancouver (previously known as Collision held in Toronto, Canada). We're diving into the heart of the tech world, sharing our personal experiences and the incredible energy of this event. From AI to machine learning, and the unique vibe of Vancouver, we're excited to share what we've discovered. - Chapters - 00:00 Introduction to Web Summit Vancouver 02:39 Comparing Web Summit Locations 05:05 Key Highlights from Web Summit Vancouver 08:23 Insights on BlueSky and Decentralized Social Networks…
S2 · E6 · 26 Jun 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
Talking aviation and sustainability in the Middle East with Shashank Nigam
We're back with another episode up in the air at 36,000ft and going even higher with a guest joining us on the move while on-ground. Shashank Nigam (CEO of aviation consultancy Simpliflying) joins us to talk about the evolving landscape of the aviation industry, focusing on sustainability, connectivity innovations, and the role of technology in enhancing customer experience. We even explore the challenges and opportunities presented by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and the importance of airports in shaping the future of air travel. All while being focused on the Middle East region and the…
S2 · E5 · 10 May 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
iHeartMedia's international plans in the MENA region with Andy Kelly
It's a new milestone for our podcast - we've brought our first guest, ready to unravel more of a big news piece we discussed a few episodes ago (hint: iHeartMedia). Andy Kelly, the Senior Vice President of Ruby (iHeartMedia's branded content studio), joins us to discuss the vision behind their international expansion in partnership with the GCO of Qatar, the role of podcasting in the region, and the importance of creating localised content. The conversation also highlights the significance of human connection in audio, the challenges and opportunities in the MENA market, and the future of…
S2 · E4 · 4 Apr 2025 · 58 min
Everything aviation and travel in the Middle East at 36,000ft in Business Class
This episode takes us to new heights — literally in every possible sense — as we decided to try something new. Gazanfarulla Khan was travelling to Montreal, and we recorded our episode live while Yasser was at home. The venue and occasion made it quite an ideal scenario to discuss something relevant to the Middle East region - airlines/aviation/airports with the intersection of technology and AI, particularly focused on the advancements in the Middle East. Tapping into Starlink technology for the in-flight Wi-Fi to record the episode, we cover everything related to: the digitization of…
S2 · E3 · 1 Mar 2025 · 43 min
Recap of Web Summit Qatar 2025
We recap the highlights and insights from the Web Summit Qatar 2025, focusing on the growth compared to 2024, the dominance of AI in discussions, keynotes from notable figures, iHeartMedia's official international foray in partnership with the Government Communications Office of Qatar, and the evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Qatar. Gazanfarulla Khan joined in on-site to share first-hand details starting from the opening night. Coming full circle as we mark one year since our podcast kick-off at the inaugural Web Summit Qatar 2024. Don't forget to participate in the episode poll on…
S2 · E2 · 5 Feb 2025 · 48 min
DeepSeek R1, Road to Web Summit Qatar 2025, iHeartMedia in MENA, and Lenovo in Saudi Arabia
China just pulled the rug and surprised everyone with DeepSeek, made with less-powerful NVIDIA AI chips even with export restrictions. Web Summit Qatar is just few weeks away, with a surprise announcement by iHeartMedia looking to go international. Lenovo is building a manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia, and some new features on Threads along with a major change to the Instagram profile grid. Plus, we decided to tease our plans for the next episode that is very LinkedIn-centric and requires input from our listeners. Please do check out the following form for details: LinkedIn etiqiuette…
S2 · E1 · 21 Jan 2025 · 51 min
Starting Off 2025: Dubai as MENA Creator Economy Hub, Qatar regulating influencers, TikTok ban, and more
It's a new year and already it's been filled with some tech and social challenges. Starting off with the TikTok ban in the US also impacting people outside the country. Is Dubai now looking to be the Creator Economy hub in the MENA region? Influencers in Qatar should prepare for new legislation that will impact them. At CES 2025, Delta is bringing YouTube Premium to its in-flight entertainment. What about the possibilities of Netflix, Disney+, and other SVOD joining in? All this and more are covered in our latest episode. Additional reference links during the episode - TikTok STEM feed…
S1 · E3 · 29 Dec 2024 · 58 min
Recap of 2024: AI leadership across Middle East region, Talabat IPO, Apple's expansion in Saudi Arabia and more
After many months since our previous episode, Yasser Masood and Gazanfarulla Khan return for the next episode exploring some highlights of the year: recent developments in Qatar, including tech events focused on Web Summit Qatar 2025 and WSJ Tech Live, AI initiatives across the GCC region, Apple's expansion plans in Saudi Arabia, and Talabat's IPO. Additional reference links during the episode: Apple is expanding in Saudi Arabia PWC report on AI in Middle East Qatar unveils Fanar LLM Dow Jones expansion in Middle East Stolen AirPods recovered --- If you're keen to suggest topics that you'd…
S1 · E2 · 13 Apr 2024 · 25 min
Recap of Web Summit Qatar 2024 (Part 2)
Picking up from our previous episode, Khan and I continue to recap our experience at the inaugural Web Summit Qatar 2024. The last tech event I attended was CES 2019 (before everyone was locked in). The next best opportunity came with the inaugural Web Summit Qatar in February 2024. We managed to cover as much with a divide-and-conquer approach. With many interesting panels/sessions covering multiple conference tracks, there was plenty to cover and the onsite podcast booth setup was our way to crunch it all. Read all about Web Summit Qatar 2024 on the blog . Prefer to watch as a video?…
S1 · E1 · 5 Apr 2024 · 21 min
Recap of Web Summit Qatar 2024 (Part 1)
After quite a long time, I got to attend a tech event since the last one was in 2019 (yes, before everyone was locked in). The opportunity came with the inaugural Web Summit Qatar in February 2024. Hosted by Yasser Masood and Gazanfarulla Khan, we managed to cover as much with a divide-and-conquer approach given the scheduling of many interesting panels/sessions covering multiple conference tracks. The best thing was the onsite podcast booth setup, which allowed us to record onsite. This is Part 1 of our overview of the Web Summit Qatar, with Part 2 to follow. Read all about Web Summit Qatar…
S1 · E1 · 4 Dec 2020 · 2 min
Meet The Geeky Nomads
Let’s introduce ourselves! We’re two ‘Khans’ who want to make this podcast different. How? Our focus is on the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) spanning tech, social media, digital and other related topics; sometimes, we'll even include the Indian Subcontinent (South Asia) region given the large diaspora present.

About The Geeky Nomads

The Geeky Nomads is a English tech & science podcast from Yasser Masood and Gazanfarulla Khan. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Yasser Masood and Gazanfarulla Khan
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 55 min
Latest episode: 10 Jul 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1574942672
Rights: Yasser Masood and Gazanfarulla Khan

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