Leaked Slack shows OpenAI staff pushed Brockman off $25 million PAC pledge

Semafor reported on Friday that OpenAI employees pushed president Greg Brockman to back away from half of a $50 million political commitment, drawing on leaked internal Slack messages. The pledge was made by Brockman and his wife Anna to Leading the Future, a super PAC that backs candidates favouring a lighter touch on AI regulation. No other outlet has the messages yet.

According to Semafor, the sequence began on 1 June, when chief strategy officer Jason Kwon posted an internal message denying any company connection to the PAC. Employees kept raising concerns, the outlet says, including about social media accounts the group funded. A critical post drew more than 24 "agree" reactions, which Semafor cites as a sign of how widely the worry was shared.

On 11 June Brockman reversed course and abandoned $25 million of the pledge, Semafor reports. It quotes him writing that he felt "terrible about the fact that LTF keeps reflecting on the company". Semafor says his message drew 40 heart reactions, five checkmarks and three thank-you emojis. Kwon is quoted as saying he wished the company had drawn public lines "even sooner".

Semafor says staff feared the PAC's aggressive tactics could hurt researcher retention and OpenAI's reputation in a tight talent market, and that employees were still voicing concerns as late as 14 September. That account comes from the leaked messages as Semafor describes them. OpenAI's own response is not included in the material available, and the Slack messages have not been published in full.

The report adds detail to an earlier account. The New York Times reported on 1 October that Brockman had no plans to give beyond his first $25 million, calling the PAC a distraction. Semafor's version puts the reversal in June and ties it to internal pressure. The two accounts differ on timing, and neither has been confirmed by OpenAI.