A CIA operative played a dual role in one of the Gulf's biggest technology wins, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The Journal, citing sources, identifies the operative as Jonny Gannon. It reports that Gannon spied on G42, a technology company tied to a powerful Emirati sheikh, in order to probe the firm's ties to China.
At the same time, according to the same reporting, Gannon helped the United Arab Emirates expand its access to advanced U.S. artificial-intelligence chips. He did so, the Journal says, by allaying American suspicions and helping the Gulf country quash concerns in Washington about its technology dealings.
The reporting frames these as two sides of the same assignment: while conducting espionage against the sheikh's company, the operative also helped smooth the UAE's path to a coveted prize.
The account, aggregated by Techmeme and carried by Google News, does not in the available items resolve how those two activities were reconciled, nor does it detail the specific chips or the full scope of the access granted.
Why it matters: advanced AI chips are among the most tightly guarded U.S. exports, and the Journal's account suggests American intelligence work was entangled with the high-stakes decisions over which countries get them.