OpenAI President Greg Brockman Withdraws $25 Million Super PAC Donation
- OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, have withdrawn a planned $25 million donation to Leading the Future, an artificial intelligence advocacy super PAC.
- Leading the Future previously stated in the summer of 2025 and in subsequent comments that the Brockmans intended to contribute a total of $50 million.
- OpenAI has encountered sustained criticism regarding safety protocols, and tech industry lobbying efforts have drawn intense scrutiny throughout recent months.
OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna, have withdrawn a planned $25 million donation to Leading the Future, an artificial intelligence advocacy super PAC. The decision highlights mounting sensitivities within OpenAI regarding public backlash and political lobbying surrounding the artificial intelligence industry, according to reporting by Theodore Schleifer and Mike Isaac published on September 30, 2026, in The New York Times.
A Second Commitment Withers Away
Leading the Future previously stated in the summer of 2025 and in subsequent comments that the Brockmans intended to contribute a total of $50 million. The pledge was structured in two installments, with the initial $25 million delivered in 2025 and a second $25 million scheduled for 2026. That second financial commitment has since dissolved. The retrenchment by Greg Brockman was never made public at the time. However, internal communications obtained by The New York Times reveal that the 38-year-old executive informed colleagues in a June Slack message that he abandoned plans to provide additional funding beyond the initial transfer. Mr. Brockman wrote in the June message.
Industry Scrutiny and Political Lobbying Tensions
OpenAI has encountered sustained criticism regarding safety protocols, and tech industry lobbying efforts have drawn intense scrutiny throughout recent months. Some industry observers view Leading the Future as excessively dismissive of calls for stringent artificial intelligence safety measures. These policy stances arrive as OpenAI attempts to carve out a middle-ground approach to regulatory oversight. Ideological allies of the super PAC have faced criticism over aggressive tactics directed against political opponents, including a prominent campaign targeting a New York congressional candidate. The friction prompted OpenAI to issue an unusual blog post in June, appearing just 10 days prior to Greg Brockman’s internal Slack message, explicitly distancing the artificial intelligence company from the super PAC.