General Keith Alexander was in charge of the National Security Agency when all hell broke loose and former security contractor Edward Snowden leaked documents showing the organization was spying far beyond the extent to which most people were aware (or comfortable with). But he's not letting that episode stop him from launching what looks to be an exceptionally lucrative private career selling...you guessed it, cybersecurity software.

As Bloomberg first reported last week, Alexander has spent the last few months since his retirement as NSA head in March giving paid talks on cybersecurity to banks and other large financial institutions. Bloomberg also noted that Alexander has charged up to $1 million a month for his services, and even co-founded his own private security firm, IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc. In a more recent interview with Foreign Policy, Alexander admitted that his firm has developed "unique" technology for detecting and fighting so-called "advanced persistent threats" — cyberattacks that can extend for months or years at a time without being noticed, and are directed against specific targets like big companies or governments.

Beyond the somewhat uncomfortable optics created by America's leading spymaster turning his skill-set to the private security sector, there are other problems with Alexander's new job. As Foreign Policy points out, the former NSA chief plans to file patents on his firm's technology, patents that are "directly related to the job he had in government." In other words, Alexander stands to profit directly off of his taxpayer-funded experience, and may do so with a competitive advantage over other competing private firms. Alexander claimed the technology he would be patenting was distinct enough from his work at the head of the NSA, but that excuse is not likely to assuage rival cybersecurity firms, nor those concerned with the revolving door between government and related private industries.