An Italian entrepreneur has gone viral with his positive comments about the UAE on The Majlis Show podcast.
Being interviewed by Faizan Khan, Italian public speaker and digital marketing expert Matteo Pittaluga says: “For me, Emirati is not just a passport or a nationality, it's an identity, and you can acquire it, you can be part of it.
“This country was built out of resilience from nothing ... if you look at the story of this country, it's very similar to your story and my story … because Emiratis are the most self-made people I've ever seen.”
A clip from the podcast, released on April 14, has been widely shared on TikTok and Instagram.
Pittaluga's appearance on the podcast focuses on the Dh1 billion ($272.3 million) support package for Dubai’s business sector announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. The host and guest also discuss reactions to market uncertainty, misconceptions of the UAE and international media narratives.
Speaking to The National, Pittaluga says that the response to the video has been "much bigger than I expected".
"I have received a lot of messages from people living in the UAE, but also from people abroad, especially from Europe, who appreciated hearing a perspective from someone experiencing the situation on the ground. Many told me they felt the interview brought balance to a narrative that is often driven only by headlines or fear," he says. "I knew the topic was sensitive and that people were looking for clarity, but I didn’t expect such a strong reaction. I think people are tired of extreme narratives, either panic or denial, and they appreciate authenticity."
Pittaluga has lived in the UAE for eight years. He says that he wants to share an "honest account" of his recent experiences in the country, amid the Iran war, not one that is "political [nor] sensationalied, but simply the reality I was witnessing."
He adds: "I also felt a responsibility to speak because I knew many people here were experiencing stress and uncertainty. In difficult moments, people naturally look for reassurance, clarity, and perspective ... it was never about creating noise. It was about bringing balance, perspective, and a sense of calm in a moment where emotions were running high."
In the podcast, Khan then asks Pittaluga whether the UAE's self-made and positive spirit is “the reason why a lot of people actually hate what is going on in the UAE?” Pittaluga replies by comparing lives in “somewhere in Europe” to the UAE.
“They see a dark city, like Gotham City, you know, in the Batman movies, Gotham City, a city full of corruption, full of hate, full of criminals, a dangerous city. Then they look at Dubai, of course, they hate Dubai,” he says. The UAE is a “a mirror … [it] shows you for who you actually are”.
He added: “If you're average, [it] will show you that you're average because when you look at Dubai, then you're looking at yourself and you're like, oh my God, man, I can do better than this.”
