Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has been consistently donating to Democratic politicians over the past few years, one of whom is Kamala Harris, the current presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not seek re-election and his endorsement of Kamala Harris, the vice president quickly became the frontrunner for the Democratic National Convention in August.
News of Biden’s endorsement sparked a surge in donations, reportedly marking the campaign’s biggest fundraising day to date, surpassing the increase seen after Trump’s attempted assassination.
According to data from Open Secrets, Sam Altman contributed $5,600 to Kamala Harris through donations made in 2019 while Harris was vying for the Democratic primary nomination. Altman has also supported other high-profile candidates such as Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg.
Prior to her run for the vice presidency, Harris had been the junior senator for California, where Altman resides. California is also home to OpenAI and a significant portion of the nation’s artificial intelligence industry.
Fo-llowing Kamala Harris’ endorsement by Biden and other prominent Democrats, the party reported a significant surge in donations, with the fundraising platform ActBlue describing it as the “biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle” on Sunday.
It was also reported that Harris’ campaign had raised approximately $60 million since she announced her intention to seek the nomination in place of Biden.
Altman’s political donations predominantly lean towards Democrats. The only Republican on his donation record is North Carolina congressman Patrick McHenry, who received $2,700 in 2018.
Since 2020, Altman has regularly contributed to the Democratic State Central Committees in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, which are crucial for the Democratic nominee’s electoral strategy.
While Altman generally refrains from making public political statements and primarily uses social media to engage in discourse on AI, he did speak out following Trump’s assassination attempt, urging politicians to tone down rhetoric and focus on common ground.