Sam Altman shares a letter from senators worried about his donations to Trump’s inauguration fund and potential regulatory influence
Washington D.C.: So, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently shared a letter from U.S. Senators expressing their worries about his donations to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund. They think he might be trying to get on the good side of the new administration to dodge regulations.
The letter, signed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet, pointed out that big tech companies, including Altman, have been making hefty donations to influence the incoming administration. Altman himself gave a million bucks, while other tech giants like Microsoft and Google did the same, but as companies.
In the letter, the senators mentioned that Altman and other tech donors are under federal scrutiny, which raises eyebrows about their intentions. Altman responded on social media, joking that he never got a letter for donating to Democrats.
He’s set to attend Trump’s inauguration, joining a bunch of other tech leaders like Tim Cook and Elon Musk. Meanwhile, Musk is getting cozy with the Trump administration, which could give him a lot of sway over federal budgets and regulations.
Trump has also hinted at rolling back AI regulations put in place by Biden, which adds another layer to this whole situation. The senators are asking Altman to clarify his donation and any talks he had with Trump’s team, with a deadline to respond by January 25.
Altman clarified that his donation was personal and that OpenAI didn’t make any decisions about it. It’s a pretty tangled web of politics and tech, and it’ll be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
