OpenAI hires Chuck Schumers daughter as Big Tech cozies up to Democrats ahead of midterms: report | Latest Tech News
OpenAI has reportedly employed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s daughter Jessica Schumer for a top coverage job as Silicon Valley more and more works to shore up ties with Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Jessica Schumer, Amazon’s former top public-policy official in New York, is becoming a member of OpenAI to deal with the company’s authorities outreach and partnerships in Northeastern states, Axios reported, citing a spokesperson for the AI giant.
The Harvard and Yale-educated Schumer brings deep ties to Democratic politics and authorities to OpenAI, which is quickly increasing its operations in Washington, DC, and state capitals as lawmakers wrestle with how to regulate the booming industry.
Sen. Chuck Schumer and his daughter Jessica Schumer arrive for a state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Dec. 1, 2022. REUTERS
Before becoming a member of Amazon in 2020, Schumer’s résumé included serving in the Obama White House as chief of employees of the Council of Economic Advisers and working as coverage director for Tim Kaine during Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential marketing campaign.
OpenAI’s hiring of Jessica Schumer may draw scrutiny because her father, a Dem, helped lead the Senate’s push to develop federal AI coverage, including a sequence of bipartisan boards that culminated in a coverage roadmap.
Her youthful sister Alison Schumer has also constructed a profession in tech, working at Facebook and Instagram before shifting to Airbnb and later returning to Facebook.
Her roles have included coverage and communications at Instagram, public affairs at Airbnb and product advertising at Facebook.
Jessica Schumer has labored for two of the largest names in tech — Amazon and OpenAI. Getty Images
She’ll take on related duties at OpenAI — and keep her distance from her highly effective father, the company said.
“Jessica will focus on state and local public policy efforts and not federal policy or engagement with Congress. She will not be involved in any advocacy before the Minority Leader or his office related to OpenAI business,” OpenAI said in a assertion.
“Jessica was selected for this role through a highly competitive process and we are excited to have her join our team.”
Jessica Schumer’s hiring comes as Big Tech corporations that aggressively courted President Trump after his return to the White House more and more hedge their bets ahead of an election that may hand Democrats control of the House.
OpenAI itself has pursued what seems to be a bipartisan strategy.
It also introduced aboard Caulder Harvill-Childs to deal with coverage and partnerships in the Southeast. Harvill-Childs, who most just lately labored in public coverage at Meta, beforehand served under Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns, a Republican.
Alison Schumer, heart, is pictured with her father, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and her spouse, Elizabeth Weiland. AFP via Getty Images
Other tech corporations have made related strikes as the prospect of a Democratic-controlled House raises the chance of congressional investigations, subpoenas and hearings.
Meta, whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg cultivated a nearer relationship with Trump following his 2024 election victory, has poured hundreds of thousands into teams aligned with both events.
The tech giant gave $5 million apiece to Democratic-aligned House Majority Forward and Majority Forward, while handing the same quantities to GOP-aligned American Action Network and One Nation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The company beforehand contributed $10 million to a Trump-aligned political committee.
Companies including Meta and Palantir have meanwhile been getting ready for the chance that a Democratic House may launch investigations into firms with close ties to Trump, according to the Journal.
Companies are also consulting attorneys and making inner preparations for potential congressional inquiries, the Journal reported.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s company is increasing its bipartisan coverage operation as the tech industry hedges its bets ahead of November’s midterm elections. Getty Images
The preparations come as Democrats need a internet gain of just three seats to seize the House and gain control of committees with subpoena authority.
Artificial intelligence corporations and their rich backers have been pouring tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} into congressional races — including Democratic primaries — as the industry seeks to form rising AI coverage.
Leading the Future, a pro-AI tremendous PAC backed by tech heavyweights including OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and enterprise capitalist Ron Conway, have amassed tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to affect congressional races.
The group has backed Democrats including Reps. Ritchie Torres of New York, Rob Menendez of New Jersey and Val Hoyle of Oregon, while supporting Republicans in other races.
Other AI-linked teams have spent hundreds of thousands supporting candidates in both events, a signal that Silicon Valley is looking for affect on both sides of the aisle.
Prediction-market giant Kalshi has taken a equally strategy.
OpenAI is increasing its state-level coverage operation as the artificial intelligence industry faces growing scrutiny from lawmakers over regulation and oversight. REUTERS
Donald Trump Jr. serves as a strategic adviser to the company. This yr, Kalshi employed John Bivona, a former Biden administration official who beforehand served as deputy national political director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, to lead its federal authorities relations operation.
It later added veteran Obama strategist Stephanie Cutter as a coverage adviser.
The Post has sought remark from Chuck and Jessica Schumer.
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