OpenAI President Emerges as Major Trump Donor

A significant political contribution from a leading figure in artificial intelligence has drawn considerable attention, highlighting the deepening ties between the tech sector and the current administration. OpenAI co-founder and former president Greg Brockman, alongside his wife Anna, contributed a combined $25 million to the primary pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., in September 2025. This substantial sum represented nearly a quarter of the group’s fundraising over a recent six-month period, marking one of the largest individual donations in that cycle.

This move exemplifies a broader trend of technology executives aligning with President Trump’s administration, which has actively promoted policies favorable to the AI industry. The administration’s agenda includes efforts to limit state-level regulatory measures, an approach many major AI firms have supported. A request for comment to OpenAI regarding Brockman’s donation was not immediately returned.

Brockman’s political spending extends beyond this single donation. He is a major financial backer of the pro-AI super PAC “Leading the Future,” which has funded advertising campaigns targeting specific lawmakers. One such effort focused on New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores, a co-sponsor of the state’s RAISE Act. That proposed legislation was significantly weakened following coordinated lobbying, including the ad buys supported by Brockman’s contributions.

While news of the donations initially surfaced earlier in the month, the topic regained prominence online following recent events in Minneapolis. After federal officers fatally shot two individuals during an operation, a petition circulated among tech workers, including several from OpenAI, urging their CEOs to sever contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and publicly condemn the agency’s actions. The petition referenced a previous instance where industry leaders successfully lobbied the White House, stating, “Today we’re calling on our CEOs to pick up the phone again.”

Since the beginning of the Trump presidency, numerous technology leaders have engaged through donations, meetings at Mar-a-Lago, and White House gatherings. Their support has been met with an administrative push to reduce consumer protections and technology regulations. A key element of Trump’s AI Action Plan revives a previously unsuccessful Republican proposal to prevent states from enacting their own AI rules. The plan argues that “AI is far too important to smother in bureaucracy at this early stage” and suggests federal funding should not support states with regulations deemed burdensome. This policy directly impacts laws like California’s SB 53, a major AI transparency bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September, which faced strong opposition from OpenAI and other technology companies.

Brockman’s public stance on regulation appears to have evolved in recent years. In a 2019 blog post, he emphasized the difficulty of altering powerful systems after deployment and stressed the critical need to address safety and policy risks before creating advanced artificial general intelligence (AGI). More recently, his communications have adopted a different tone, focusing on the value of a “growth-focused mindset” toward emerging technology. In a New Year’s Eve post on social media platform X, Brockman noted that he and his wife had begun political involvement through contributions, expressing support for policies that advance American innovation and foster dialogue between government and the tech sector. He added that it was encouraging to see the president and his administration’s direct engagement with the AI community.

(Source: The Verge)