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Greg Brockman — OpenAI’s president, co-founder, and Sam Altman’s second-in-command — just donated $25 million to a super PAC that’s running pro-data-center ads in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin ahead of the midterms. His wife Anna matched the donation. The super PAC, called Leading the Future (LTF), has raised over $50 million total from Silicon Valley VCs Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, who are also the biggest disclosed donors to the 2026 midterm elections at $115 million and counting.

I covered OpenAI’s hardware pivot and the company’s IPO filing. But the political spending adds a dimension that tech coverage keeps missing: OpenAI isn’t just building a product. It’s building a political machine. And if you use AI tools for your business, the outcome of these elections affects whether your tools stay available, affordable, and legal.

What LTF is actually doing

The Verge’s Hayden Field reported on how Brockman has consolidated power inside OpenAI as Altman’s second-in-command. That same consolidation is happening outside the company. Brockman isn’t just running engineering — he’s personally funding a political operation that shapes AI regulation.

LTF’s strategy is straightforward: donate to pro-AI politicians, oppose candidates who push back on AI infrastructure. The new offshoot, Build American AI, is spending millions on ads in three battleground states where data center construction has become a central campaign issue. TechCrunch reported that the group is trying to convince voters that data centers in their backyards are a good thing.

The backlash is real. CNN reported that opposition to data centers has become a “uniquely bipartisan” midterm issue. Local communities don’t want the water usage, the noise, or the land grabs. Residents in multiple states have organized against new construction. And OpenAI’s own president is spending tens of millions to override those objections.

Why OpenAI distanced itself (sort of)

In June 2026, OpenAI published a blog post acknowledging LTF and drawing a line between the company and the super PAC. “OpenAI does not direct the activities of LTF, or have visibility into their operations,” the post said. It also condemned “astroturfing” — making paid campaigns look like grassroots support.

That distancing is technically accurate and practically meaningless. The company says it doesn’t control LTF. But its president and co-founder funded it with $25 million. The super PAC’s goals align perfectly with OpenAI’s business interests: more data centers, fewer restrictions, faster deployment. When the person who runs your company spends $25 million on a political operation that benefits your company, the distinction between “company” and “PAC” is a legal technicality, not a real boundary.

For context, Anthropic — OpenAI’s main competitor — supports Public First Action, a group that backs AI regulation. So the two biggest AI companies are literally funding opposite sides of the AI regulation debate. The political landscape for AI tools is being shaped by the companies that build them.

What this means for your business

If you run a solo business that uses AI tools, the midterm results affect you directly. Three things to watch:

Data center zoning laws. If you use cloud-based AI tools — ChatGPT, Claude, Make, Zapier, any of them — your tools run on servers in data centers. New zoning restrictions could slow the buildout of AI infrastructure, which could mean higher API costs or slower service. OpenAI’s push to expand data centers isn’t charity — it’s infrastructure your tools depend on.

AI regulation. The super PAC spending on both sides (pro-industry LTF vs. pro-regulation Public First Action) means the regulatory framework for AI is being decided right now. If you’re building automations, selling AI-powered services, or using AI for content creation, the rules of the game are being written by people funded by the companies you buy from. Platform risk isn’t just about API access anymore — it’s about political access.

The relationship between money and tools. When OpenAI’s president can spend $25 million on politics while the company’s advertising business hits $1B run rate and the pricing war drives costs down, the economics of your AI tools are connected to the economics of political influence. Cheaper tools and political spending come from the same revenue stream.

The Andreessen Horowitz factor

The Brockman donation is getting headlines, but the bigger story is Andreessen Horowitz. The venture firm is the single largest disclosed donor to the 2026 midterms at $115 million — more than Elon Musk or George Soros. They’re backing both AI and crypto causes through multiple super PACs, including Fairshake for crypto and LTF for AI.

If you’ve used any a16z-backed product — OpenAI, Coinbase, Instacart, Roblox, or dozens of others — your usage indirectly connects you to the largest political spending operation in Silicon Valley history. The firm isn’t just investing in companies. It’s investing in the political environment those companies operate in.

This isn’t conspiracy. It’s documented, disclosed campaign finance. The New York Times called it “spending on politics like no other.” And it’s happening while the rules for AI, data centers, and crypto are being written.

What to do about it

Stay informed, not alarmed. Political spending by tech companies isn’t new. What’s new is the scale and the speed. The AI industry is trying to lock in favorable regulation before the public fully understands what’s being regulated. That’s not inherently good or bad — it’s just what’s happening.

Diversify your AI providers. I’ve said this before in the context of platform risk and subscription pricing. The political angle makes it even more important. If one company’s political fortunes change — favorable regulation gets rolled back, or unfavorable rules get imposed — you don’t want your entire business tied to that one provider.

Watch the midterms. The outcomes in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin will tell you a lot about whether the AI industry’s political spending is working. If pro-AI candidates win in those battleground states, expect more data centers, faster buildouts, and continued cheap AI. If they lose, expect regulatory friction. Either way, it affects your tools.

The bottom line

OpenAI’s president is consolidating power inside the company and spending $25 million to shape the political environment outside it. The AI industry’s biggest players are funding both sides of the regulation debate. And the rules being written right now will determine what your AI tools cost, how they’re regulated, and whether the infrastructure they run on gets built.

This is the part of the AI story that doesn’t make it into product announcements. But it matters as much as any model upgrade or price cut.

Start with the AI Tool Advisor if you’re diversifying your stack, or check out how to build your first automation if you’re just getting started.