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San Francisco’s incoming mayor, Daniel Lurie, appointed OpenAI CEO to his transition team on November 18 to strengthen ties with the tech sector.
Sam Altman, joined by six other local leaders, will guide Lurie’s team on innovation and help foster essential city partnerships.
I’m thrilled to introduce the co-chairs who will guide our transition and lay the foundation for change in San Francisco.
• Sam Altman: CEO of OpenAI
• Joanne Hayes-White: San Francisco Fire Chief (Ret.)
• José Quiñonez: CEO of Mission Asset Fund
•… pic.twitter.com/If5kjHBxRb— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) November 18, 2024
Other co-chairs include Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockton, and Joanne Hayes-White, former San Francisco Fire Department chief. Ned Segal, Twitter’s former CFO, will also join Lurie’s team. After leaving Twitter in 2022, Segal joined the boards of Beyond Meat, RingCentral, and Lurie’s non-profit, Tipping Point.
San Francisco’s New Mayor Leans on Tech Leaders
Lurie, a newcomer to office, defeated Breed by focusing on crime, drug use, and homelessness. The Levi Strauss heir spent over $8 million, gaining support from Silicon Valley’s technology sector leaders. A crucial part of his campaign was preserving San Francisco’s status as a tech hub.
When Lurie assumes office on January 8, he will tackle the city’s community safety issues, a significant factor driving tech leaders away. He plans to attract early-career professionals and retain entrepreneurs, with Sam Altman likely leading the effort.
Lurie might rely on Altman, former Y Combinator head and OpenAI CEO, to win over YC CEO Garry Tan, who has criticized Lurie despite his growing political influence and other tech founders with doubts, while Altman could gain political leverage.
The OpenAI chief isn’t the only tech executive entering politics this year. Donald Trump, the incoming president, recently named Elon Musk to run the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, together with pharmaceutical entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The department will offer recommendations on budget reductions and restructuring.
