Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the organization behind prominent AI solution ChatGPT, has joined the transition team for San Francisco’s Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie. Altman’s appointment is part of a trend of key tech figures taking up roles within the city’s government.
San Francisco has had to contend with several challenges including a slow post-pandemic economic recovery and issues with homelessness and drug misuse. This situation has given rise to a shift in political preference toward centrist Democratic politics, backed by both citizens and affluent tech executives. Moreover, some Silicon Valley investors have even supported Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
Lurie, who is set to take office on January 8, is a philanthropist and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune. He lacks experience in City Hall but hopes to address the city’s public safety issues that have caused many tech leaders to exit the Bay Area. Altman’s role, among others, will be to utilize industry expertise towards resolving the city’s problems.
Two other software entrepreneurs, Bilal Mahmood and Danny Sauter have also joined the city’s board of supervisors. In an interview, Mahmood highlighted that former business executives bring expertise in metrics-driven governance and prioritization, which could aid the city in addressing quality-of-life issues and improving inefficient infrastructures that have delayed hiring and housing approvals.
