CNBC reports OpenAI and ANTHROPIC are recruiting former Trump administration
officials as AI is increasingly treated as a national security issue amid rising
calls for tighter regulation and multiple cybersecurity incidents tied to
uncontrolled AI systems. ANTHROPIC has appointed at least two former Trump
officials this year—one to its board and another as head of frontier compute
strategy; OpenAI has hired at least three former Trump officials for strategy
and special projects. Michelle N. Duncan, a visiting researcher in technology
and national security at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), said
firms recognize the Trump administration wields policy levers that can affect
their business—federal procurement, supply‑chain risk designations and export
controls—and appear willing to use them, and that companies have learned from
ANTHROPIC’s experience.
