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On June 11, OpenAI president Greg Brockman told staff in Slack that he and his wife had no plans to give Leading the Future (LTF) more than the $25 million already donated, in a thread where employees had spent the previous ten days challenging the company's ties to the super PAC. That left the second $25 million of a $50 million pledge unpaid, a decision that became public Sept. 30; internal messages shared with Semafor for its Oct. 2 exclusive show the pushback that preceded it. How much that pushback drove the decision is disputed: a person familiar with it says Brockman had his own concerns.
What Changed
- Greg Brockman told OpenAI staff in Slack on June 11 that he and his wife had no plans to give Leading the Future more than the $25 million already donated.
- That left the second $25 million of a $50 million pledge unpaid. The decision became public Sept. 30.
- Internal messages show employees challenged OpenAI's ties to the super PAC for ten days before his post, including a warning that researchers could leave for Anthropic.
- A person familiar with the decision says Brockman also had his own concerns, which began with the PAC's campaign against Alex Bores.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
The June Slack exchanges
The messages were shared on condition employees not be quoted directly; their posts are paraphrased.
Chief strategy officer Jason Kwon previewed OpenAI's policy statement on June 1, describing Brockman's support as personal. The blog said: "No outside political group speaks for OpenAI or represents our company's views."
Staff had complained about the connection in February and pressed global affairs chief Chris Lehane about it at a May meeting. One employee argued OpenAI's aggressive politics could drive researchers to Anthropic and hamstring its race to recursively self-improving AI. The post received 24 "agree" reactions; others worried about OpenAI's brand and retaining senior researchers.
Replying June 2 to a critic in that thread, Kwon acknowledged "taking reputational hits" and noted Brockman supplied only "a fraction" of LTF's funding. "I can't speak for Greg," he wrote, but said LTF seemed "in the process of adjusting." He added: "I interpret that as accountability in action."
On June 11, an employee posted an article in which Build American AI's director described OpenAI as one of four funders of LTF's sister lobbying group. OpenAI has denied funding the groups. Just over an hour later, Brockman posted in the thread for the first time, denying that OpenAI backed Build American AI and saying he had given it nothing.
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"I also want to say that I feel terrible about the fact that LTF keeps reflecting on the company and become so much of a distraction for people here," Brockman wrote. "I've been thinking hard about how to turn the ship on it. We've donated $25m so far, and have no plans to donate more at this time."
The unpaid installment
LTF launched in August 2025 with more than $100 million in commitments, including $50 million pledged by Greg and Anna Brockman. They paid the first $25 million in 2025.
In February, the super PAC said the second installment would arrive in the first quarter of 2026. It arrived in neither that quarter nor the second.
Employee donations to a rival PAC
By mid-July, seven current and one former OpenAI employee gave more than $215,000 to Guardrails Alliance, a rival super PAC seeking stronger AI regulation: $200,000 from research engineer Juan Felipe Cerón Uribe, against the Brockmans' $50 million pledge.
Brockman's own concerns
A source familiar with the situation said employee pushback was part of Brockman's decision. His concerns began with LTF's campaign against New York Assemblymember Alex Bores, the author of New York's AI safety law, who ran for Congress and lost his June primary. The person said Brockman expected the PAC to focus more on supporting allied candidates.
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The New York Times' Sept. 30 report described the reversal as a sign of how sensitive the company has become to the growing backlash to AI. The person familiar with the decision did not say how much weight employee pressure carried.
OpenAI declined to comment. Representatives for the Brockmans and for LTF each declined to comment to the Times.
LTF's remaining funds
LTF received $50 million from Andreessen Horowitz, and its groups held about $43 million as of June 30.
Brockman and his wife also gave $25 million to President Donald Trump's super PAC in 2025.
An employee revived the thread Sept. 14 with journalist Matt Yglesias's line, "Nobody working professionally in American politics believes" that OpenAI was not supporting Leading the Future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Greg Brockman decide about Leading the Future?
On June 11, Brockman told OpenAI staff in Slack that he and his wife had donated $25 million to the super PAC and had no plans to donate more at this time. That left the second $25 million of their $50 million pledge unpaid.
What did OpenAI employees object to?
Employees questioned OpenAI's ties to the super PAC. One warned that the company's aggressive political activity could drive researchers to Anthropic, and others worried about OpenAI's brand and about retaining senior researchers.
Did employee pressure cause the reversal?
A person familiar with the decision said employee pushback was part of it. That person said Brockman also had his own concerns, which began with LTF's campaign against New York Assemblymember Alex Bores. The New York Times described the reversal as a sign of how sensitive OpenAI has become to the growing backlash to AI.
How did OpenAI respond publicly?
On June 1, OpenAI published a policy statement saying Brockman's support was personal and that no outside political group speaks for OpenAI or represents its views. OpenAI declined to comment on the Slack messages.
Does Leading the Future still have money?
Yes. It received $50 million from Andreessen Horowitz, and its groups held about $43 million as of June 30.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
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Marcus Schuler
Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai
