OpenAI’s Greg Brockman Drops $25 Million Donation To Pro-AI Super PAC

Topline

OpenAI's billionaire co-founder and President Greg Brockman dropped plans to donate $25 million to a prominent political action committee that backs candidates who support pro-AI policies, after he and his wife Anna's earlier donation of a similar amount drew backlash from his company's employees.

Key Facts

According to The New York Times , which first reported the story on Wednesday, Brockman told OpenAI staffers in an internal Slack message that he won't make any further donations to the "Leading the Future" super PAC.

Brockman and his wife donated $25 million to the super PAC last year, shortly after it was formed, and had pledged to donate the same amount this year.

The company previously said the Brockmans made the donation to Leading the Future in their personal capacity .

In the internal message cited by the Times, Brockman said he felt "terrible" that the super PAC "keeps reflecting on the company and become so much of a distraction for people here."

Brockman added that he was "thinking hard" on how to "turn the ship" on this matter and has decided he and his wife have no plans to "donate more at this time."

Crucial Quote

Reacting to the report, Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, tweeted : "OpenAI's president admits his AI super PAC has become a liability. The pressure is working. Progressives have worked hard to make LTF as toxic as AIPAC. Now one of its biggest donors is backing out. Democrats need to stand with the people and reject AI billionaires' money."

Tangent

In response to Brockman's earlier donation to "Leading the Future," a group of OpenAI employees came together and donated more than $215,000 to a rival super PAC that pushes for stronger AI regulation earlier this year. The Guardrails Alliance launched in June, having raised $5 million and aims to raise $15 million during the midterm cycle. The group also commented on Wednesday's report, noting: "Leading the Future is so toxic that OpenAI's President backed out of his commitment to give them another $25M. Every Democrat who has received support from LTF should take this opportunity to loudly and publicly reject their support."

What Do We Know About Leading The Future?

Leading the Future launched last year and received commitments of more than $100 million from Brockman, billionaire Marc Andreessen's venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and others. Like Brockman, Andreessen Horowitz donated $25 million to the PAC last year and pledged another $25 million this year. On its website , the super PAC says it is "focused on advancing a positive, forward-looking agenda for AI innovation in Washington, D.C. and across the states." The committee notes it will proactively engage in politics "by identifying, maintaining, and growing pro-AI candidates in order to support an AI innovation policy agenda at the state and federal level."

further reading

OpenAI Executive Backs Out of Second $25 Million Donation to A.I. Super PAC (New York Times)

This article was originally published on Forbes.com