OpenAI Staffers Are Funding a Rival Super PAC to Take on Their Boss

When asked for comment on this story, an OpenAI spokesperson pointed WIRED to a June blog post stating that Brockman’s engagement with Leading the Future was in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the company. The blog also notes that OpenAI “employees are free to participate in the political process in their personal capacities, including by donating or providing advice to candidates, campaigns, and political organizations.”

Gabriel Wu, an OpenAI safety researcher, says he gave $5,000 to Guardrails Alliance in an effort “to push back against Leading the Future” and the massive amounts of money being spent to ensure AI remains unregulated.

“AI is a powerful technology that could provide enormous benefits to humanity, but I worry about what will happen if we do not pass responsible regulations and instead allow a few ultra-wealthy and unaccountable individuals to control the future of AI,” Wu told WIRED in a statement.

Julie Steele and Jason Wolfe, two OpenAI staffers who research AI alignment, each donated $5,000 to Guardrails Alliance, according to the group. They, and at least three other OpenAI employees, will appear on the super PAC’s future quarterly filings with the FEC. David Farhi, a former OpenAI research manager who left the company last summer after seven years, donated $3,000 to the super PAC, and will appear in the group’s July filing.

“As a leader of AI research at OpenAI for many years, it became abundantly clear to me that AI is going to present our world with both unprecedented opportunities and challenges,” Farhi said in a statement to WIRED. He added that it’s been disappointing to see Leading the Future “actively work against OpenAI’s mission by aiming to shut down” discussion around AI regulation before it can happen.

In a statement to WIRED, Leading the Future spokesperson Jesse Hunt denied that the super PAC has tried to stifle public debate about AI and noted that it has previously advocated for federal regulations on the technology. “Leading the Future has laid out a clear, positive, and proactive agenda and we’re proud of our track record supporting a diverse array of policymakers and candidates across the country,” Hunt said.

Guardrails Alliance isn’t the first PAC trying to combat Leading the Future. Public First Action, a super PAC backed with $20 million from Anthropic, has committed to promoting AI safeguards and counter pro-AI groups in the 2026 elections. But Thomas says that Guardrails Alliance is unique in that it represents a broad set of interest groups and doesn’t have large corporate donors.

Both Guardrails Alliance and Public First Action supported Bores in his primary race for New York’s 12th congressional district. The race was flooded with $27 million in spending from pro-AI industry and pro-safeguard groups. Thomas tells WIRED that Guardrails Alliance is looking at supporting other Democrats in the 2026 elections, including in California’s 34th congressional district.

Guardrails Alliance is expected to disclose more of its donors on Wednesday night in its public filing, including former Andreessen Horowitz partner John O’Farrell, though it’s unclear how much he has contributed. A representative for O’Farrell did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

O’Farrell was the first outside partner to join Andreessen Horowitz in 2010, but left earlier this year. In a New York Times opinion piece, he criticized his former colleagues for allegedly using Leading the Future to “intimidate politicians who appear to engage too aggressively with the question of how to govern A.I.”