---
title: "US defense official overseeing AI reaped millions selling xAI stock after Pentagon entered agreement with company"
slug: "us-defense-official-overseeing-ai-reaped-millions-selling-xai-stock-after-pentagon-entered-agreement-with-company"
date: 2026-04-09
category: tech-pub
tags: [regulation]
language: en
sources_count: 1
featured: false
publisher: AInauten News
url: https://news.ainauten.com/en/story/us-defense-official-overseeing-ai-reaped-millions-selling-xai-stock-after-pentagon-entered-agreement-with-company
---

# US defense official overseeing AI reaped millions selling xAI stock after Pentagon entered agreement with company

**Published**: 2026-04-09 | **Category**: tech-pub | **Sources**: 1

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## TL;DR

Expert said federal law bars officials from taking actions in their jobs that benefit their own financial interests A high-profile US defense department official who oversees the agency’s artificial intelligence efforts made a profit of up to $24m selling a private investment he held in Elon Musk’s AI company earlier this year, according to government ethics records released this month.

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## Summary

Expert said federal law bars officials from taking actions in their jobs that benefit their own financial interests A high-profile US defense department official who oversees the agency’s artificial intelligence efforts made a profit of up to $24m selling a private investment he held in Elon Musk’s AI company earlier this year, according to government ethics records released this month. The value of his stake totaled a maximum of a million dollars when he joined the department. Emil Michael, who is the Pentagon’s under secretary for research and engineering under the Trump administration, oversees negotiations with AI companies and has been pushing the defense department to rapidly increase the widespread use of AI. Continue reading...

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## Why it matters

The value of his stake totaled a maximum of a million dollars when he joined the department.

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## Key Points

- The value of his stake totaled a maximum of a million dollars when he joined the department.

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## FAQ

**Q:** What is US defense official overseeing AI reaped millions selling xAI stock after Pentagon entered agreement with company about?

**A:** Expert said federal law bars officials from taking actions in their jobs that benefit their own financial interests A high-profile US defense department official who oversees the agency’s artificial intelligence efforts made a profit of up to $24m selling a private investment he held in Elon Musk’s AI company earlier this year, according to government ethics records released this month.

**Q:** Why does it matter?

**A:** The value of his stake totaled a maximum of a million dollars when he joined the department.

**Q:** What are the key takeaways?

**A:** The value of his stake totaled a maximum of a million dollars when he joined the department.

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## Related Topics

- [regulation](https://news.ainauten.com/en/tag/regulation)

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## Sources

- [US defense official overseeing AI reaped millions selling xAI stock after Pentagon entered agreement with company](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/09/pentagon-ai-xai-emil-michael) - The Guardian AI

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## About This Article

This article is a synthesis of 1 sources, curated and summarized by AInauten News. We aggregate AI news from trusted sources and provide bilingual (German/English) coverage.

**Publisher**: [AInauten](https://www.ainauten.com) | **Site**: [news.ainauten.com](https://news.ainauten.com)

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*Last Updated: 2026-04-09*