More than 1,000 Google employees attending the company’s corporate sales event in Dubai were stranded in the city when hostilities with Iran escalated last weekend.
Google’s cloud division had concluded its annual “Accelerate” conference on Friday when missiles and drones began striking the region. With sudden airspace closures, employees who had stayed on in Dubai for the weekend found themselves unable to secure flights home. Many staffers, who had traveled with their families, were left in hotels awaiting guidance from local authorities.
“Grounded by a regional escalation that has paralyzed one of the busiest travel hubs on Earth, it’s hard not to feel scared,” Yasmeen Ahmad, a Google Cloud executive, wrote on LinkedIn, noting she had used Google’s AI tools to stay informed.
Since Saturday, Google has arranged departures for many employees, and the number still stranded in the city has dropped significantly, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Paris-based Google engineer Samy Fadel, who returned to France, wrote on LinkedIn, “While I am deeply relieved to be home and safe, it honestly doesn’t feel like a real return yet. Many of my colleagues and fellow travelers are still trying to get back to their families as airspace disruptions and evacuations continue across the region.”
A Google spokesperson said, “Our focus is on the safety and well-being of our employees in the region.”
Private-charter company Elevate Aviation was hired by a corporate client to evacuate roughly 1,000 employees and their families, initially using an airport in Oman for departures, the company’s chief executive told an international media outlet.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, nearly 20,000 Americans have returned from the Middle East, according to State Department spokesman Dylan Johnson, not including those still in transit or who left for other countries. France’s foreign minister said that 750 French citizens had been evacuated, with 5,000 still awaiting departure.
The current hostilities have reached the city, with Iran reportedly firing 1,400 missiles and drones at the U.A.E., most of which were intercepted. Attacks in the past week damaged two Amazon Web Services data centers.
Airports in the U.A.E. were closed due to airspace restrictions and drone strikes but have since reopened some flights. Travelers have also reached safety via overland routes to Oman or by private planes.
Reports indicate that in the days before the conflict, many employees received no guidance from their companies or the U.A.E. government on potential risks or contingency plans. Initial missile interceptions were observed by Dubai residents, who continued their routines until attacks intensified and drones reached the city.
