Meet Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emirati prince with a $1.5 trillion fortune, who’s betting big on artificial intelligence through his mysterious investment vehicle MGX.
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 staggering $1.5 trillion in wealth, making him one of the world’s most influential figures in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan is a prominent Emirati business leader and investor.
He serves as the Managing Director of Invest AD, a sovereign wealth fund in Abu Dhabi.
Tahnoon also chairs the boards of several companies, including Bin Laheia Holding Group and Edge Group.
He has been instrumental in driving economic growth and diversification in the UAE through strategic investments and partnerships.
The Mysterious MGX Fund
Launched in 2024, “investment fund of the future” boasts $100 billion in investments from Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This ‘investment fund of the future’ not only makes him one of the largest investors in AI but also puts him in control of more than quadruple Elon Musk‘s net worth, which stands at approximately $356 billion.
The MGX Fund is a type of investment fund that focuses on investing in small-cap and micro-cap companies.
The term 'MGX' stands for Micro-Cap Growth Exchange, which reflects the fund's primary investment strategy.
These funds typically invest in emerging growth companies with market capitalizations below $300 million.
This allows investors to gain exposure to potentially high-growth stocks while spreading risk across a diversified portfolio.
Ties to the Trump Administration and Elon Musk
The Abu Dhabi-based fund made headlines in January after being announced as one of the key 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.
A Complicated History
Beyond his public profile involving MGX and “Stargate”, Tahnoon’s past is marred by controversy. His family has been implicated in widespread human rights abuses and illegal financial practices that have earned the UAE a recurring spot on the United Nations’ “black list.” Additionally, as an advisor to the Emirates’ national security apparatus, he has been accused of involvement in spycraft, including the distribution of a messaging app alleged to be used for eavesdropping.
A Meeting with Elon Musk and Donald Trump
Despite these concerns, both Musk and the Trump administration seem eager to collaborate with Tahnoon. Ahead of the presidential election last year, the sheikh met with Musk at his Giga Texas factory and was seen posing in jeans and a t-shirt instead of his traditional Emirati prince’s garb. The specifics of their discussion remain unknown, but it is unlikely they discussed the UAE’s well-documented record of torturing migrant workers.
A Prominent Human Rights Criminal Investing in AI
Tahnoon is not the only individual with a questionable human rights record investing heavily in AI. However, he stands out as one of the most prominent figures to do so. In the eyes of his American benefactors, his involvement may be seen as a positive development.
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