--- title: "This Emirati Prince Controls Four Times Elon Musk’s Wealth and He’s Going All-In on AI" description: "The United Arab Emirates' so-called \"spy sheikh\" controls a whopping $1.5 trillion in wealth, and he's funneling a good hunk of it into AI. " date: "2025-02-27" modified: "2025-02-27" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/uae-sheikh-tahnoon-wealth-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "donald trump" - "investors" - "stargate" - "united arab emirates" --- # This Emirati Prince Controls Four Times Elon Musk’s Wealth and He’s Going All-In on AI ![The United Arab Emirates' so-called "spy sheikh" controls a whopping $1.5 trillion in wealth, and he's funneling a good hunk of it into AI. ]() *\Image: Andrew Harnik / Evelyn Hockstein / Pool / AFP via Getty / Futurism\* The United Arab Emirates' so-called "spy sheikh" controls a whopping $1.5 trillion in wealth — and he's funneling a colossal stream of it into AI, making him one of the world's most powerful figures in the space. As the [*Wall Street Journal* reports](), Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan — the son of the UAE's founder and brother to its crown prince, and at one time a top contender for the throne himself — has already swiftly begun achieving his dream of becoming a global AI power player thanks to MGX, his mysterious AI investment vehicle. Launched in 2024, this "[investment fund of the future]()" boasts $100 billion in investments from Tahnoon, who along with possessing a purportedly vast personal fortune is the head of two Emirati wealth funds that put him in control of more than quadruple [Elon Musk's net worth](), which stands at roughly $356 billion. While we don't know much about the exactitudes of MGX's projects, the Abu Dhabi-based fund briefly went viral in January after being announced as one of the investors [backing Stargate](), President Donald Trump's new $500 billion AI initiative. Shortly thereafter, people began [buying up stock]() in a company that uses "MGX" as its ticker — which turned out to belong to Metagenomi, a California-based biotech startup, and not the Emirati AI fund. Beyond that, most of the sheikh's public profile involves either "[Hydra]()," the chess computer he poured money into in the early-to-mid-2000s — or his family's corruption scandals, which include allegations of [widespread human rights abuses]() and illegal financial practices so egregious, it earned the confederation of Arab states a recurring spot on the United Nations' "[black list]()." If none of that was sketchy enough, Tahnoon is also an advisor to the Emirates' national security apparatus, where he's been implicated in spycraft, including the [distribution of a messaging app]() that US officials alleged was used to eavesdrop on users. Despite those concerns, Musk and the Trump administration seem more than happy to jump into bed with Tahnoon — and the feeling seems to be very mutual. Ahead of the presidential election last year, the sheikh flew to the United States to [meet with the South African-born billionaire]() at his Giga Texas factory and was seen posing outdoors — a major thing for Tahnoon, who suffers from an eye condition that requires he wear sunglasses even indoors — in jeans and a t-shirt instead of his traditional Emirati prince's garb. Though the specifics of that discussion weren't publicized, it seems highly unlikely that the moneyed pair talked about the UAE's well-documented record of [torturing migrant workers](). While Tahnoon is most certainly not the only [purported human rights criminal]() to be investing big in AI, he's perhaps one of the most prominent ones ever to do so — though in the eyes of these American benefactors, [that may be a good thing](). **More on weird AI investors:** [*There’s Something Very Weird About This $30 Billion AI Startup by a Man Who Said Neural Networks May Already Be Conscious*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()