Do you know where on the A380 your friend was seated? It's not exactly quick to disembark on stairs. If he was seated near the rear then I think it's entirely possible that if the other 11 passengers connecting to EK27 were in first, business, or near front of economy then they would have disembarked much sooner than your friend and been on board one of the first buses to the terminal, and therefore reached the connecting gate on time, whilst your friend did not.