Source: Fortune
Summary
Anthropic is launching a presidential engagement program ahead of the 2028 elections, hiring a Political Programs lead to work with U.S. presidential candidates from both parties on AI policy. The initiative includes educating candidates, preparing executives for political conversations, and managing the company’s political funding. The move comes as Anthropic prepares for an IPO that could value the company at $2 trillion. Experts say the program is unusual, as it formalizes engagement with presidential campaigns, which is typically handled through government affairs teams. Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, has advocated for AI regulation, while President Trump opposes it.
Our Reading
The announcement sounds familiar.
Anthropic is building a political team to engage with both parties.
The company is preparing for an IPO and 2028 elections.
It’s hiring someone with 12+ years in politics and bipartisan experience.
Corporate influence in politics is growing, but so is scrutiny.
Author: Evan Null
Politics is an open part of Anthropic’s DNA, while OpenAI’s influence is subtler
Anthropic is already politically active, and sees itself as “equal parts research lab, policy think tank, and technology company,” according to the job description, which stresses that it political participation is bipartisan.
In contrast to the Center for Political Accountability’s Freed, Harbath, the Anchor Change CEO, said that Anthropic’s Political Programs role did not strike her as unusual. “It sounds a lot like what my job at Facebook was and that a lot of other companies have,” said Harbath, who served as Public Policy Director at Facebook for 10 years. “What’s unusual about it is that it includes running the political action committee (PAC) money. Usually that was a separate thing.”
In addition to candidate education and grassroots organizing, the role calls for running “the day-to-day of Anthropic’s political giving,” and helping employees who “choose to participate in politics do so in an informed way.”
In April, Anthropic set up its first employee-funded political action committee (PAC), called AnthroPAC, which allows employees to contribute up to $5,000 per year, a legal cap. Other tech companies also have PACs, such as MetaPAC, and AmazonPAC.
Individuals at tech companies can donate much more outside of their capped PAC contributions, and with Anthropic’s upcoming IPO, its employees will likely have even deeper pockets for political spending.
Bipartisan support for AI regulations
The broader context outside of Anthropic’s new role is also relevant, with AI being an increasingly hot political topic on both sides of the aisle.
“AI is already a big issue in 2026 and I think it will become even more prominent in 2028,” said Sarah E. Kreps, a John L. Wetherill Professor, and the Director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University. She expects the conversation to move from “in the abstract” to real-world concerns such as “jobs, data centers, and privacy.”
While Anthropic is likely looking to improve relations with the current and future administration, Harbath noted that it may be difficult for Anthropic to earn trust with both political parties. “Most companies hire people with Democratic and Republican backgrounds for a reason—the campaigns trust people who come from their party and understand how they work.”
Anthropic’s Political Programs Lead role calls for someone with 12 or more years of experience working in campaigns, party committees, or political organizations, with senior-level experience in national politics, and “a record of working credibly with both parties.”
Still, Harbath expects the role, which lists a salary range of between $295,000 and $345,000, will be challenging for whoever takes it, and high pressure.
