OpenAI and Anthropic are pulling talent from the Trump administration as the AI industry works to rebuild trust in Washington. OpenAI confirmed that Thomas Lind, who led AI policy at the Office of the National Cyber Director, has joined its national security policy team to focus on cyber and strategic risk. The company also hired Dean Ball, a former senior policy advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, to serve as head of strategic futures.
The hires come as both labs expand their government-facing teams. Anthropic and OpenAI are also recruiting for multiple political engagement roles, a sign that the companies see policy relationships as central to their growth. Nie Duncan, a commentator cited in the CNBC report, noted that the labs are preparing for some of the largest IPOs of all time and can offer compensation packages far beyond typical public-sector pay.
The movement runs in both directions, but for now the draw is toward the private sector. As Duncan put it, "The AI labs are becoming some of the most consequential institutions in the world, and for officials who are serious about shaping the future of AI governance, inside the labs is where a lot of leverage currently lies." OpenAI has also brought on Peter Bowman-Davis, formerly Chief AI Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to work on model training and hardware engineering.