\n<\/p>\n
OpenAI\u2019s co-founder and longtime president, Greg Brockman, didn\u2019t just make a run-of-the-mill donation to the main pro-Trump super PAC \u2014 together, he and his wife Anna\u2019s September 2025 donations equaled the largest of them all, totaling $25 million to \u201cMAGA Inc.,\u201d per a recent filing<\/a>. The Brockmans\u2019 donations made up nearly one-fourth of the six-month fundraising cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s the latest in a string of examples of tech executives cozying up to President Trump\u2019s administration, happening as the administration pushes to aggressively back the AI industry and defang state-level regulations that companies like OpenAI have largely opposed. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Brockman\u2019s multimillion-dollar donation isn\u2019t the only example of him spending big, under his own name, on lobbying efforts that have their sights set on dismantling potential AI industry regulation. The pro-AI super PAC \u201cLeading the Future,\u201d of which Brockman is a significant backer<\/a>, has bought ads targeting New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores \u2014 a cosponsor of New York\u2019s RAISE Act, which was watered down<\/a> at the last minute after coordinated lobbying efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Though news of the Brockmans\u2019 donations first broke earlier this month, it\u2019s seen a resurgence in online discussion after the recent death of Alex Pretti<\/a> in Minneapolis, where federal officers have fatally shot two people during an anti-immigrant crackdown. Tech workers from across the industry, including multiple employees at OpenAI, have signed a letter<\/a> calling for their CEOs to cancel all contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and publicly condemn the department\u2019s actions. \u201cWhen Trump threatened to send the national guard to San Francisco<\/a> in October, tech industry leaders called the White House,\u201d the petition\u2019s website states. \u201cIt worked: Trump backed down.<\/a> Today we\u2019re calling on our CEOs to pick up the phone again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, since Trump\u2019s inauguration, tech leader after tech leader has donated to his inauguration fund, flocked to Mar-a-Lago to meet with him, or attended White House dinners by his side<\/a>. In return, they\u2019ve gotten an administration eager to roll back consumer protections and tech regulation. Trump\u2019s AI Action Plan resurrected a failed Republican attempt<\/a> to bar states<\/a> from passing AI regulations, to tech leaders\u2019 delight<\/a>. The new provision states that \u201cAI is far too important to smother in bureaucracy at this early stage\u201d and that the government \u201cshould not allow AI-related Federal funding to be directed toward states with burdensome AI regulations that waste these funds,\u201d though it should also \u201cnot interfere with states\u2019 rights to pass prudent laws that are not unduly restrictive to innovation.\u201d Targets of the moratorium include SB 53, the landmark AI transparency bill California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September despite many tech companies lobbying against it, including OpenAI<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In 2019, Brockman co-wrote a blog post<\/a> about how hard it is to \u201cchange powerful systems \u2026 once they\u2019ve been deployed,\u201d and that it\u2019s \u201cimportant to address AGI\u2019s safety and policy risks before it is created.\u201d Six years later, his posts have shifted in tone, highlighting the importance of \u201capproach[ing] emerging technology with a growth-focused mindset.\u201d In a New Year\u2019s Eve post on X<\/a>, Brockman wrote that \u201cthis year, my wife Anna and I started getting involved politically, including through political contributions, reflecting support for policies that advance American innovation and constructive dialogue between government and the technology sector.\u201d He added that \u201cit\u2019s been great to see the president\u2019s and his administration\u2019s willingness to engage directly with the AI community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n