The technology behind the Google Earth software was originally developed by Keyhole Inc., a company funded by In-Q-Tel. Google acquired Keyhole Inc. in 2004. The same base technology is currently employed by U.S. military and intelligence systems in their quest, in their own words, for “full-spectrum dominance” of the planet. Moreover, Google’s connection with the CIA and its venture capital firm extends to sharing at least one key member of personnel. In 2004, the Director of Technology Assessment at In-Q-Tel, Rob Painter, moved from his old job directly serving the CIA to become ‘Senior Federal Manager’ at Google. As Robert Steele, a former CIA case officer has put it: Google is “in bed with” the CIA.
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Rob has been instrumental in the internal workings of I2Pure and the launch of its pathogen-fighting products. Before I2Pure, he was the Director of Technology Assessment at In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm, leading significant investments, including Keyhole (now Google Earth). Rob has held senior roles at Google, Razor’s Edge Ventures, Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman, and other Fortune 500 companies and has mentored over 100 companies as a Techstars mentor.
His government service includes active U.S. Army deployments and significant contributions to the CIA, NGA, and DoD. Rob is a cum laude graduate of Ohio University, a 2018 recipient of OU’s Konneker Medal, has conducted advanced graduate research in GIS and AI at George Washington University, and completed graduate studies in Entrepreneurship at Penn State, highlighting his commitment to innovation and global impact through technology and business intelligence.