Exclusive | OpenAI asks California watchdog to probe whos really behind tailored AI ballot measures: Serious questions
Sam Altman’s OpenAI has asked a key California political finance watchdog to investigate the local resident behind a pair of AI-related ballot measures over what the company described as “serious questions” about his potential motives, The Post has learned.The complaint to California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, or FPPC, references East Bay native Alexander Oldham, who filed two pending proposals that, if approved, would empower state officials to regulate major AI firms – in part by putting a special focus on policing public benefit corporations.OpenAI recently converted into such an entity.As The Post exclusively reported earlier this month, Oldham is the stepbrother of Zoe Blumenfeld, a senior employee at OpenAI’s chief rival Anthropic, and he also has ties to tech entrepreneur Guy Ravine, who has waged a bitter legal battle with OpenAI over who came up with the idea for the company.
The Post has not seen any evidence that Ravine was involved in the ballot initiative and he is not mentioned by name in OpenAI’s filing.Oldham’s measures “appear to be designed to impose complex and unnecessary regulatory burdens on OpenAI,” an OpenAI lawyer writes in the complaint, a copy of which was obtained by The Post.OpenAI alleged that Oldham may have violated state lobbying rules, including failure to make required disclosures.“Experts stated and warned that the initiatives’ language is surgically tailored to target OpenAI’s unique public benefit corporation structure and could empower regulators to single out specific companies rather than set industry-wide standards — all while Mr.
Oldham maintains ties to a businessman with a long-running dispute against OpenAI.These connections raise serious questions about who is really behind this effort,” the complaint states.Oldham had “no known background in AI policy or political campaigns” prior to filing the ballot proposals, the complaint adds.
OpenAI’s lawyers allege that Oldham �...