Sam Altman, chief executive officer (CEO) of OpenAI, is gaining attention for his prominent role in the artificial intelligence (AI) policy of the Donald Trump administration. Altman has surpassed Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and a competitor in the AI sector, to secure a position that influences key policies of President Trump. Evaluations suggest that this process involved not only technical ideas and visions but also a strategy that accurately assessed President Trump's political situation.
Since President Trump's election, major billionaires in Silicon Valley have engaged in fierce competition to influence the new administration. The most successful among them has been Musk. During the presidential campaign, Musk donated a significant sum to the Trump campaign, earning President Trump's trust, and subsequently rose to a position that could influence federal budget and job issues. In contrast, Altman has relatively refrained from political statements, limiting his opportunities to exert political influence from the outside. Moreover, Altman has long supported the Democratic Party and publicly criticized Trump during his first term. Altman and Musk once competed for control of OpenAI and have continued to engage in legal disputes. Although Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015, Musk left the organization in 2018 due to internal conflicts.
However, despite this unfavorable situation, Altman has established himself as a core figure in the AI policy of the Trump administration, surpassing Musk. The New York Times (NYT) assessed that Altman's political sense and negotiation skills played a role in this background. It noted that Altman emphasized the 'big transaction' that President Trump prefers, reflecting the president's tendencies, rather than merely presenting a technical vision. In particular, he highlighted the necessity of building vital data centers in the AI industry, proposing policy achievements that align with significant real estate and infrastructure projects that President Trump values, according to NYT.
According to NYT, shortly after President Trump's inauguration, Altman had a 25-minute phone call with him during which he proposed policies necessary for the U.S. to outpace China in the field of AI. Altman emphasized the importance of economic growth and job creation while aiming to advance the U.S. AI industry by leveraging President Trump's interests in large-scale projects and infrastructure development.
In particular, the 'Stargate' project is expected to connect to President Trump's policy achievements. Stargate is a project involving OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, which plans to invest a total of $500 billion (approximately 727.2 trillion won) over four years, starting with an initial investment of $100 billion (approximately 145.44 trillion won). NYT reported that 'in fact, the Stargate project had been in preparation for several months, but Altman adjusted the timing so that it could be announced as President Trump's first achievement after his inauguration.' Indeed, the day after the inauguration, President Trump announced the Stargate initiative at the White House. At this event, Altman stated, 'We wouldn't have achieved this without President Trump,' attributing credit to the president.
Altman was reportedly engaged in discreet efforts utilizing his connections to forge a relationship with President Trump. He actively leveraged relationships with individuals such as Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son. In June of last year, two executives from OpenAI had a private meeting with President Trump at a hotel in Las Vegas facilitated by Governor Burgum. Although Altman was scheduled to attend, he could not because he tested positive for COVID-19. At this meeting, the executives emphasized the importance of constructing large-scale data centers and infrastructure essential for the AI industry, and this strategic approach became a pivotal moment for Trump to express interest in the AI sector. Subsequently, President Trump mentioned the power demand of AI during his official nomination as the Republican candidate.
Meanwhile, Musk has publicly expressed skepticism about the Stargate initiative. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), 'They actually don't have that much money,' adding, 'SoftBank has less than $10 billion, and I heard this from a reliable source.' In response, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) commented that 'Musk poured cold water on the Stargate project supported by Trump.'