# OpenAI and Anthropic hire former Trump officials

> Both firms added senior staff from the Trump administration as they seek influence in U.S. AI policy.

Oossa · 2026-10-09 · https://oossa.com/en/openai-and-anthropic-hire-former-trump-officials

OpenAI and Anthropic have each hired several senior officials who served under former President Donald Trump. Anthropic added a former White House senior policy advisor to its board in February and hired a former OSTP AI adviser as head of frontier compute strategy in September. OpenAI brought in three Trump-era staffers for strategy, cyber risk and strategic futures roles between March and July. The moves come as frontier AI companies try to build ties with Washington amid calls for regulation and security concerns.

## The facts

- Anthropic hired Sihao Huang, a former senior policy advisor at OSTP, as head of frontier compute strategy in September 2026.
- OpenAI hired Thomas Lind, former AI policy lead at the Office of the National Cyber Director, in March 2026.

## Why it matters

Hiring former Trump officials gives the labs direct insight into U.S. policy levers that could affect AI regulation and federal contracts.

## Sources & references

1. [OpenAI and Anthropic poach Trump officials as industry fights for Washington’s trust](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/openai-anthropic-poach-trump-officials.html) – CNBC, 2026-10-09

Last updated: 2026-10-09