# Why The CIA Created Pokemon Go
# Uploader: Patrick Cc:
# Upload date: 2026-07-27
# URL: https://youtu.be/qGCsz4RfgTs
# Timestamped transcript fetched 2026-07-28; seconds from video start.
# Complete: includes the Surfshark sponsor read (approx. 306-357s)
# and the archival interview clips with John Hanke (approx. 72-101s, 163-189s,
# 579-671s), which the transcript marks with '>>' speaker changes.

[0.00] Most people don't know that the founder of Pokémon Go, John Hanke, received funding from In-Q-Tel, which is the
[6.68] venture capital firm created by the CIA. And while you and your friends were walking around your city, scanning the
[12.72] Earth to catch your favorite Pokémon, the game's developer, Niantic Incorporated, was collecting all that
[18.04] data and using it to build advanced 3D maps to facilitate military attacks on third-world countries. You see, Pokémon
[25.44] Go was created by the same guy who essentially created Google Earth. John Hanke was the co-founder of Keyhole,
[32.48] which developed a 3D digital mapping program called EarthViewer. Keyhole's EarthViewer 3D client application uses
[39.64] video game-like 3D graphics and access to massive databases of network-hosted Earth information, including satellite
[46.92] imagery and aerial photography, to produce an interactive digital model of the Earth. The product was unlike
[53.00] anything anyone had ever seen before in the early 2000s, but it was unclear what its use case would be, and therefore
[59.40] Keyhole was bleeding money. Every few months for years, John would find himself scrambling to raise money from
[65.60] Silicon Valley investors to keep [music] the lights on. That was until In-Q-Tel saved his company from going under.
[72.32] >> Then we got our really a lifeline from a kind of unusual source. In-Q-Tel was this new little venture capital firm that was basically
[81.32] a government VC firm with money from the intelligence community. >> [music] >> So, that was one of the few funds in the
[87.16] valley that was doing real business, and they were making a lot of investments at the time. This was in the kind of
[91.76] post-9/11 security ramp-up period. And so, they found out about our technology and invested a few million dollars in
[100.96] the company. >> Thanks to In-Q-Tel's funding, Keyhole was supplying technology to troops in Iraq and the Pentagon, and they
[107.76] ultimately became a profitable company due to the massive amount of government contracts rolling in. Shortly after,
[114.00] Keyhole was acquired by Google in 2004, and they turned this technology into what we now know as Google Earth. After
[121.32] Google's acquisition, John Hanke became the Vice President of product management for the company's geo division where he
[127.48] oversaw products like Google Earth and Maps. Google Earth was revolutionary because it gave everyone access to
[133.20] detailed satellite imagery of nearly the entire planet from a home computer. You could explore unfamiliar cities, [music]
[139.56] inspect neighborhoods before moving and plan trips, but they quickly realized it was far more powerful than that.
[145.68] Humanitarian organizations began using it to coordinate disaster relief, scientists [music] monitored deforestation and climate
[152.80] change, archaeologists used it to discover previously unknown ruins, journalists investigated war zones and
[159.08] governments used it because it was better than anything they had access to. >> The product ended up being used in ways
[164.48] that we never anticipated. I guess I'll just say it that way. Uh, when Katrina happened in New Orleans, uh, the Coast
[170.28] Guard was using Google Earth and Craigslist to basically find where people were trapped and send helicopters
[175.64] in to rescue them. Kind of crazy. You would think, well, the government, they've got lots of sophisticated software, but as it turns
[181.16] out, web software that's available that already has the data in it is ready, easy to use, uh, a breakthrough, really.
[189.44] >> But after working for 6 years inside Google's corporate ecosystem, Hanke wanted the freedom to combine everything
[195.44] he'd learned about digital maps and augmented reality to create a video game. Now, if you ask me, that seems
[202.16] like a crazy career change. Technically, the foundation of John's Earth Viewer product started in college while working
[209.04] with his classmates on an open-world video game idea, but he knew the technology had much more potential and
[214.84] it did. So, after changing the world with his vision, creating a CIA-funded startup for military operations, and
[220.96] then getting acquired by a tech giant, [music] going back to being a video game developer seems like a massive career
[226.92] and lifestyle change. That is, unless it was part of a larger plan. Google actually did not want John Hanke to
[233.68] leave the company. For whatever reason, they felt that his video game idea might become valuable to them in the future.
[239.52] So, they [music] convinced him to create Niantic Labs as an autonomous unit inside of Google. Basically, they gave
[246.04] him the freedom of creating a startup but using all of Google's resources inside of Google's walls. If it failed,
[253.16] Google would get their employee back. And if it succeeded, then Google could be an early investor or part owner of a
[259.56] major video game innovation. Niantic's first major product was an app called Field Trip, a virtual tour guide that
[266.24] analyzed the user's location, provided suggestions for nearby landmarks to visit, and offered information about the
[271.92] area. It wasn't much of a game, but it laid the foundation for their next big project [music] called Ingress. Launched
[278.16] in 2012, Ingress was an augmented reality mobile game that prompts users to explore their neighborhoods and
[284.04] locate portals at nearby landmarks. This was quite literally the same idea as Pokémon GO. Those who played it were
[291.40] intoxicated by the addictive gameplay loop, although it failed to pull in a large player base even years after its
[296.96] release. Luckily for Niantic, one of the game's players would prove to be an invaluable asset with direct ties to the
[303.60] Pokémon company. But real quick, I'm sure you have all connected to public Wi-Fi at some point at your airport or
[309.92] your local coffee shop. And every time you do, you're leaving yourself vulnerable to cyber attacks. These
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[352.56] and use code Patrickcc [music] to sign up now with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Thanks, Surfshark. A Japanese
[358.64] Google Maps engineer named Tatsuo Nomura pitched the idea of placing Pokémon inside of Google Maps as an April Fools'
[365.48] joke. He traveled to Japan and got direct permission from the Pokémon company to implement the feature. John
[371.32] Hanke asked Nomura to show the Pokémon company's executive board the Ingress game. Little did they know that the
[377.36] president of the Pokémon company was already a massive fan of the game. And because of this, Niantic was able to
[383.16] secure a partnership with Nintendo and create Pokémon Go. They launched the game on July 6th, 2016, but they never
[390.56] could have anticipated the chaos that would come next. In just 2 months after its release, the app was downloaded over
[397.00] 500 million times, and an estimated 21 million players logged in every single day on average. Not only had it
[404.00] surpassed [music] the success of mobile games like Candy Crush or Clash Royale, but it was pulling in more engagement
[409.40] than websites like Twitter and Facebook. [music] The concept was simple. You walked around your neighborhood and
[414.28] search for virtual Pokémon. When you found one, [music] the game used your phone's camera to make it look like the
[419.28] Pokémon was right in front of you, and you used Poké Balls to catch them and add them to your collection. The game
[425.00] incentivized users to explore the world around them, offering various digital PokéStops at notable locations or
[431.40] landmarks. These PokéStops served as a hub to collect in-game items and use special lures to attract more Pokémon.
[438.28] This also included Pokémon Gyms. Players selected from one of three teams and would compete with rival Pokémon hunters
[444.56] to control areas to earn Poké Coins and buy upgrades. Pokémon Go wasn't just another mobile video game. It
[451.48] transformed your local neighborhood into a fantasy world. [music] This is why it became a cultural phenomenon almost instantly. Public
[459.08] parks were overflowing with players searching for rare Pokémon, restaurants and stores use nearby PokéStops to
[465.20] advertise their businesses, and content creators were racking up millions of views just by playing the game. The game
[471.12] skyrocketed into mainstream pop culture, >> [music] >> becoming a topic of discussion on late-night television shows, and was
[476.76] infamously referenced by Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign. >> I don't know who created Pokémon Go.
[486.01] >> [cheering] >> But I'm trying to figure out how we get them to have Pokémon go to the polls. >> It's safe to say Pokémon Go was taking
[495.44] over the world, but it wasn't just making headlines [music] for its record-breaking numbers. It was also
[500.28] being linked to real-world accidents, life-altering injuries, and [music] even deaths. Only days after the game's
[506.92] release, two men were hospitalized while playing Pokémon Go. They hopped a fence to get access to a Pokémon on the other
[513.28] side, ignoring a sign warning pedestrians of the unstable ground on a nearby cliff, which both men eventually
[520.04] fell down. The players sustained serious injuries, but fortunately survived. Others were not so lucky. A truck driver
[527.36] in Japan hit two women while playing Pokémon Go, severely injuring one and killing the other. Players of the game
[534.04] began to find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations as both drivers and pedestrians were getting distracted by
[540.00] the app. And the more people became immersed in the world of Pokémon, they lost touch with the world around them.
[545.68] Players began disrupting religious services and funerals. The Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. asked people
[551.76] to stop playing the game inside of their establishment. Players were also being disruptive at the Arlington National
[557.12] Cemetery, causing problems for grieving families and members of the military paying their respects. [music] As you
[562.44] can imagine, after Pokémon Go exploded in popularity, the video game industry became extremely interested in learning
[568.92] more about the developers. John Hanke of Niantic Labs was interviewed in front of a live audience at TechCrunch in in
[575.24] Francisco, and seemed like he could not be less interested. >> First and most importantly, what team are you on?
[583.68] >> Uh I'm uh I'm um I'm yellow. I'm all about the yellow. Yeah. >> Me, too. Team Instinct, anyone out there?
[592.04] >> No. >> Team Instinct, there we go. I'm not going to try and button that back up on stage. >> It's crazy that the creator of the game
[600.08] couldn't even properly answer the question, what team are you? Which refers to one of the three factions
[605.80] players can join once they reach level five. Team Valor, which is red, Team Mystic, which is blue, or Team Instinct,
[612.60] which is yellow. He just said, uh the yellow one. The interviewer was clearly a massive Pokémon fan, and Hanke seemed
[619.96] like the total opposite. It was disappointing to players that the most viral game of 2016 surrounding one of
[626.32] the most beloved IPs of all time was being spearheaded by a boring corporate suit. But what was particularly
[632.96] interesting was his insights on working with governments before they launched the game in different countries. So,
[638.80] we're still in the rollout phase of the game. Do you know what the next rollout country is going to be? Uh I have a pretty good idea about it,
[646.76] it is pending getting things squared away on the, you know, uh government relations side and getting everything prepared. So, I I
[654.56] can't say right now. It has been interesting that you know, we didn't really anticipate the level to which it would attract
[661.84] interest from government people and policy people and things like that, but that's become part of the dialogue at
[667.96] this point. So, we're getting, you know, more well-versed in those skills. [music] >> Now, we don't really know what interests
[674.52] governments had with the game. Now, I'd imagine governments had obvious concerns, like tens of thousands of
[680.08] people gathering in parks, people blindly walking into traffic, etc. But Hanke didn't use the word concerns. He
[687.08] said, [music] "interests." Another thing to note was that South Korea refused to let Google export its government map data to foreign servers
[694.88] out of fear that it could expose military bases and other sensitive locations to North Korea, which made
[700.48] Pokémon Go nearly impossible to launch across most of South Korea. China also heavily regulates foreign access to
[707.44] geographic data and blocked Google Maps entirely because it considers detailed mapping a matter of national security.
[714.40] In other words, while most players saw Pokémon Go as a harmless mobile game, entire governments were already the data
[721.76] underneath it like a potentially dangerous military asset. The question is, did Niantic Labs know that they were
[728.40] wielding a dangerous military asset? Well, there was this one controversy that came up where iPhone users
[734.44] discovered that signing in through Google gave Niantic full access to their accounts. Per Google's own description,
[740.72] this meant access to both view and modify anything in the account. To many, they believed that this meant unfiltered
[746.68] access to their images, videos, and emails, although it wasn't that simple. Niantic stated that it only had access
[753.08] to the users IDs and email addresses, and Google personally verified that no additional information was given to the
[759.52] company. So, since Niantic couldn't steal the data just by someone making an account, they had to trick users into
[765.84] giving it up for free. And what resulted was one of the most ambitious geospatial data collection projects ever hidden
[772.92] behind a mobile game, one whose technology would later facilitate devastating military operations. Four years after the game's release, Niantic
[782.08] introduced an interesting new feature, AR mapping tasks. PokéStops marked by notable landmarks would now offer users
[789.52] rewards if they completed AR scanning prompts. These required players to scan the surrounding area with their phone's
[796.36] camera for about 20 to 30 seconds. Interesting that this feature was not available for children's accounts. From
[802.88] the players' perspective, the feature was relatively harmless. They had already become accustomed to Pokémon GO
[808.52] tracking their location and having access to their cameras. So, when Niantic offered free rewards with the
[814.20] promise of game improvements, players were eager to take part. Niantic claimed that the data collected would inform the
[820.36] game's engine to understand the depth and complexity of the real world. This would make for a way more immersive
[826.56] experience in which virtual objects could seamlessly integrate with the world around them. In hindsight, it
[832.20] seems like an evil genius plan. The man who created Google Earth and worked directly with the CIA and international
[839.12] intelligence organizations was getting people to voluntarily 3D [music] scan the world around them while they think
[845.44] they're just helping Niantic make a better Pokémon game. These scans would help develop a much larger technology
[851.92] called Lightship VPS, which stands for visual positioning system. The satellite-based technology of GPS was
[859.24] useful, but not optimized for the best augmented reality experience. For example, it might be able to tell you
[865.44] that you're near a statue, but it's typically incapable of understanding where you are relative to the landmark,
[871.12] whether you are behind it or in front of it, if you are 3 ft away or 30 ft away. This information isn't important when
[877.44] getting general directions for a road trip, but when it comes to making accurate drone strikes on enemy base
[883.04] camps without harming innocent civilians, it can make a massive difference. When players scanned a landmark, they recorded more than just a
[890.20] video. It tracked the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the user's device. It also utilized the phone's
[896.20] accelerometer and gyroscope, allowing the system [music] to consider the phone's position and orientation.
[901.76] Considering all of this data, the scans could be used to make reliable inferences about the user's distance
[907.08] from both the landmark itself and the surrounding environment. Every scan submitted was unique, taken at different
[912.92] angles, positions, and distances. [music] Each video was divided into approximately 300 individual images, all
[919.60] of which were pieced together with other scans to create a full 3D digital map of the area. Essentially, Niantic was
[925.96] creating the world's largest, most detailed 3D scan of the entire world, and Pokémon Go players were helping for
[932.64] the most innocent intentions. VPS could compare the players' live footage against this virtual world to determine
[939.04] the players' exact location, which helped influence where objects and Pokémon would be anchored within the
[944.56] real world. Think about how NPCs in Grand Theft Auto sometimes mindlessly walk around with no intention or logic
[951.68] applied to them. Pokémon Go was similar initially, but with this new technology, the Pokémon could now be programmed to
[957.92] interact with their surroundings. Instead of being mindlessly placed on the ground, they would be able to hide
[963.08] behind the landmarks or even climb on top of them. Put simply, the goal of this technology was to make a
[968.40] near-perfect replica of the world the way that humans would experience it, so that the Pokémon in the game could
[974.40] literally interact with the world the same way a human might. And players were willing to sacrifice 30 seconds of their
[980.00] day if it meant free rewards and a better experience down the line. And by November of 2022, Niantic revealed that
[986.20] they had developed more than 120,000 digital maps of various locations throughout the globe. But technology
[992.56] this powerful would be wasted if it were only used for Pokémon Go, and Niantic understood this deeply. [music] While
[999.32] they stated their goal was always to give people tools to become 21st century explorers, it felt like they were
[1005.76] leaving a massive opportunity on the table. But VPS also had a major limitation. The system was only able to
[1012.44] recognize information it had already been given. If a landmark had only been scanned from the front, [music] the
[1017.80] model would not be as effective when used from behind. And if it had received no prior information on a landmark,
[1023.72] there was nothing the model could work with to provide an immersive experience. They had now gathered enough data for 1
[1029.72] million different waypoint locations to have full VPS integrations, but there were still millions of locations that
[1035.32] had not been fully scanned. Niantic sought to fix this issue with their large geospatial model announced in
[1041.08] 2024. The goal was to take all of the combined data they had collected and use AI to make inferred guesses about
[1047.64] partially unscanned locations. Niantic uses a church as an example. If players had only scanned the front of a
[1053.88] particular church, the VPS technology might be unable to recognize footage taken from behind, but the large
[1060.16] geospatial model could infer based on thousands of other churches that had been fully scanned and make an educated
[1065.96] prediction about what the back of that specific church would actually look like. Humans have the ability to do this
[1071.96] naturally. We are capable of applying our personal lived experience to make inferences about our environment. If I
[1078.52] showed you the front of a house, you could probably make a pretty good guess about what the back of it looks like.
[1083.52] You might not get every detail right, but you'd expect windows in roughly the same places, a back door, maybe an AC
[1089.76] unit, a fence, or a patio. Your brain does not know that specific house. It's recognizing patterns from thousands of
[1096.40] houses you've seen before. Niantic wanted AI to learn that same instinct, but with near-perfect precision. And
[1102.92] only months after announcing their large geospatial model, Niantic made the shocking decision to sell Pokémon Go.
[1110.12] While Scopely Incorporated acquired the rights to Niantic's catalog of games for $3.5 billion, Niantic retained all of the data,
[1118.20] research, and technology they had been developing over the last decade, which includes their VPS and geospatial
[1124.24] models. In other words, they kept their most valuable IP, sold the rest of their got the data, and were ready to move on,
[1130.88] leaving Pokémon in the dust, which to some makes it seem like they never cared about Pokémon in the first place, and it
[1137.16] was all a part of a bigger operation. The company shifted its focus away from video game development, and under the
[1143.32] leadership of John Hanke, began working on Niantic Spatial. The company made it clear this technology had far more
[1150.08] potential than improving augmented reality experiences. It had the ability to help both humans and machines to
[1156.56] understand the world and navigate it. Instead of figuring out where to spawn Pokémon, the technology could be used to
[1162.92] train a robot or AI-powered vehicles to determine their locations without the use of GPS. Like you know how outside of
[1169.88] your town, you don't really know where you're going or where you are, but thankfully you have access to GPS on
[1175.92] your phone. Well, they're working on a technology for machines, robots, or vehicles that would essentially install
[1182.16] a perfect one-to-one understanding of the entire world. So, you could theoretically place it anywhere and
[1188.08] it'll know exactly where it is and exactly how to get where it needs to go in the fastest way possible. And
[1194.32] initially, this tool was being marketed as something that could enhance manufacturing, warehousing, logistics,
[1200.20] construction, tourism, entertainment, and education. Like a warehouse worker could use the VPS technology to navigate
[1206.96] the facility and streamline the process of conducting inventory management instead of just like walking around the
[1213.00] building and understanding where things are and where they need to go. But, Niantic was also getting involved in
[1218.36] areas that most might not have expected. [music] This became clear when Niantic Spatial announced it was teaming up with
[1224.56] a company called Vantor in December of 2025. While Niantic had its roots in the gaming industry, Vantor had always been
[1231.32] a part of the intelligence and defense sectors. [music] They're best known for creating mapping systems used by military commanders and
[1237.80] soldiers to analyze the battlefield and coordinate. This partnership may seem bizarre on the surface, but it was
[1243.16] actually a perfect match. Vantor had developed a visual positioning system called Raptor. Similar to VPS, Raptor
[1250.72] was capable of determining its location by analyzing its environment and making inferences. When a drone became
[1256.68] disconnected from GPS signal, it could utilize Raptor to assess the roads, buildings, and hills to figure out its
[1262.85] [music] position relative to Vantor's own personal map. However, the technology was relatively limited as it
[1268.68] gathered data from airborne drone footage, meaning [music] its pool of data was limited to the sky. This is
[1274.12] where the partnership really starts to make sense. [music] VPS system did everything Raptor did, but on the ground floor. Specifically,
[1280.64] it gave the same tools to both troops on the ground as well as AI controlled robots and vehicles. With Vantur in the
[1286.56] sky and Niantic on the ground, the two companies hope to create a shared digital map that could be used by
[1291.76] drones, vehicles, and people with or without the use of GPS [music] to stay connected. Was Niantic developing
[1297.88] weapons or making decisions in regards to active combat? No, but they were playing a role that is arguably just as
[1303.68] important. They were helping AI powered drones understand where they were and help them stay coordinated with
[1309.36] personnel on the ground. Technology originally marketed as a way to make your Pokémon catching experience [music]
[1315.04] more immersive was now helping drones, vehicles, and soldiers coordinate on the battlefield. Niantic has continued to
[1321.36] become a more prominent part of the defense sector. Recently, the visual positioning system received awardable
[1327.44] status [music] through a federal marketplace, Tradewind Solutions, meaning that government agencies were
[1332.16] able to negotiate deals and purchase the technology for their own use. And taking a look at Niantic Spatial's website,
[1338.36] they appear to have struck deals with the United States Coast Guard and the Air Force. So, this isn't some kind of
[1344.04] crazy conspiracy theory. The data they gathered through Pokémon GO was used to develop mapping technology that is
[1350.20] literally being used by the military. I'm not sure how many Pokémon GO players who agreed to participate in AR scanning
[1357.16] would have done so knowing that this was going [music] to be used for the military, which is why now tons of
[1362.12] players feel like they were straight up lied to. When Niantic first introduced the AR scanning feature, the company was
[1368.52] transparent about their intentions to an extent. [music] It told players that these scans would be used to create a better gaming
[1374.68] experience. [music] And while they did make it clear that this data would be used in apps outside of Pokémon GO, I'm
[1380.00] I'm sure if anyone expected military defense applications, [music] which is why it seems as though this was
[1385.76] always the purpose of creating this technology. [music] When you think about it, Niantic was never really a game
[1391.20] developer. They have always been a mapping company. Think about their origins. John Hanke's first business,
[1396.80] Keyhole, had direct ties to the CIA, and he later went on to work a high-value job in Google's geo division. He always
[1403.88] has been aware of the massive price [music] tag governments are willing to place on data, and with Pokémon Go,
[1409.56] Niantic had access to information that wasn't available anywhere else. Pokémon Go was meant to be a [music]
[1415.52] family-friendly experience. It drew players in with the promise of getting to be fully immersed into a core part of
[1421.48] their childhood in a way they never could before. It was also a defining part of many of Gen Z's childhoods. But,
[1427.96] the dark reality is that if Pokémon Go proved anything, it's that you were never actually playing a game. The game
[1433.81] [music] was playing you. And if discovering the deeper suspicious intentions behind game developers is your favorite type of content, check out
[1440.64] the video I made on the game ski.