Fixer, financier, spymaster: how the UAE’s Sheikh Tahnoon is setting his sights on AI dominance
The Guardian · Jack Shenker · 33 min read at The Guardian
The Emirati royal is increasingly influential on the world stage. Some see him as a visionary. Others compare him to a Bond villain. Who is he?
On the night of 12 November 1993, a slim, young Brazilian named Royce Gracie stepped into an octagonal cage in Denver, Colorado, and found himself staring up into the eyes of a giant. Gerard Gordeau, a Dutch kickboxer, stood five inches taller, weighed almost three stone more than him, and had an extra decade of fighting experience under his belt. Now the pair were about to engage in bare-knuckle combat: no judges, no separation of opponents by size, no respite until someone either got knocked out cold or begged for mercy.
Excerpt. Full story at The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/oct/01/fixer-financier-spymaster-how-the-uaes-sheikh-tahnoon-is-setting-his-sights-on-ai-dominance
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