OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joins the growing list of former tech leaders seeking roles in San Francisco’s government after this month’s election.
San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie named Altman, the head of the artificial-intelligence company behind ChatGPIT, as one of seven co-chairs of his transition team, the campaign announced Monday. The tech industry, centered in Silicon Valley south of San Francisco, has increasingly moved into the city itself, causing tension in a place that was once synonymous with hippies and counterculture.
At the same time, San Francisco’s sluggish post-pandemic economic recovery and visible struggles with drugs and homelessness have fueled a shift toward centrist Democratic politics, driven by both disaffected citizens and wealthy tech executive donors.
Some Silicon Valley investors have supported Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
WhatsApp co-founder and former CEO Jan Koum endorsed Lurie in the San Francisco election. Two former software entrepreneurs, Bilal Mahmood and Danny Souter, were elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors.
Lurie, a philanthropist and heir to the Levi Strauss estate, will succeed London Breed, the city’s first Black female mayor, who has led the city since 2018.
Upon taking office on Jan. 8, Lurie, who has no experience at City Hall, will face the challenge of solving San Francisco’s public safety crisis, a serious issue that has prompted many tech leaders to relocate from the Bay Area. Have motivated for.
Other tech executives took advantage of the opportunity to focus their industry skills on San Francisco’s problems.
“I’m excited to help the city I love and where OpenAI was born,” Altman said in a statement.
In an interview with Reuters, Mahmood said former business executives are experts in prioritization and metrics-driven governance, who could help the city “get back to basics.”
“Democrats are more focused on ideological battles rather than quality of life issues,” he said.
Mahmood said many of San Francisco’s problems stem from its inefficient tech infrastructure, which leads to delays in hiring and housing approvals, areas where tech executives are well-positioned to contribute.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
