OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he has no plans to make financial contributions to this year’s US elections. His statement comes as other Silicon Valley billionaires have already pledged to spend heavily on midterm races that will decide control of Congress. Altman made the remarks during a visit to Washington on Wednesday.
Altman’s Position
After a meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders on Capitol Hill, Altman said he sympathizes with those who have promised to spend money on campaigns. He pointed to growing opposition to the AI industry. “You can’t hold us to a different standard than all of our competitors. If they’re trying to use money to gang up on us, we have to be able to fight back,” Altman said.
But he added that he would like to see the rules changed across the board. “I would love to see money out of politics in general. I think that’d be a great thing to happen,” he said.
The Political Battle Over AI
Other prominent AI industry figures have already jumped into politics. Leading the Future, a super political action committee backed by OpenAI President Greg Brockman and the co-founders of Andreessen Horowitz, is working to elect AI-friendly candidates. The group is also fighting state-level efforts to restrict the technology and curb data center construction.
OpenAI has tried to distance itself from the super PAC, which has received $25 million from Brockman and his wife. In a blog post, OpenAI said it was not affiliated with the group.
Meanwhile, OpenAI’s top competitor, Anthropic, gave $20 million to a rival super PAC called Public First Action. That group advocates for tougher AI safety regulations.
Sanders’ Warning
Senator Bernie Sanders reflected the emerging political battle lines. “They have $300 million ready to go to take on any member of Congress who objects to what they are doing, and that is bad,” he said. “That Congress has not stood up for the American people in taking on AI is precisely because of the huge amounts of money.”
In a New York Times op-ed, Sanders called for a one-time 50 percent tax on the stock of big AI companies. The proceeds would go into a sovereign wealth fund and be redirected as payments to the public.
Altman’s Washington Agenda
Altman’s trip to Capitol Hill comes as OpenAI prepares for an initial public offering later this year. The IPO could value the company at nearly $1 trillion. Anthropic filed confidentially for its own IPO this week after a funding round that valued it at $965 billion.
Altman also met with other lawmakers, including Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. He visited the White House for discussions on the company’s regulatory agenda. The trip unfolded just a day after President Donald Trump called for AI companies to voluntarily share cutting-edge models for government review before release.
Sam Altman says he is staying out of the 2026 election money race. But the AI industry is already deeply involved. Rival super PACs are spending millions. Congress is divided. And the battle over AI regulation is only getting started.
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