James Bamford has made the point in three different books that the majority function of the NSA and CIA are actually industrial espionage for American companies. Shadow Factory outlines several of the dust-ups that the CIA has caused in order to further American business interests [(Toshiba scandal, anyone?)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshiba-Kongsberg_scandal). He even points out that the NSA, Google and Microsoft have colocated server farms in Utah. Don't see "Big Brother." See "American Military-Industrial Complex" and you're closer to the truth. There's always a profit motive behind any business venture, and any large defense organization within a capitalist country is a business venture. Frankly? If you're the EU you stomp on Google just to give Airbus a leg up.
Growing up means understanding all of these puzzle pieces better with time, I think. I'm tryna make bebe steps. The "deep state" hypothesis is still one of the most interesting formulations of a modern and evolving superstructure across the West. It's fun trying to imagine how countries' natural survival instincts (as featured by the Bloomberg piece) play into everything. What a spectacle, though, the world stage.
The first time I heard the phrase "The Great Game" I was like "oh."