Why British politicians are flocking to American tech giants

The battle for AI talent shows no sign of slowing down, with companies making headlines every week for their latest projects. This includes engineers sneaking up on each other or get-work and, increasingly, senior management to support them as they grow.

Less than 10 days after Slack CEO Denise Dresser He became OpenAI’s chief financial officerFormer British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that he was joining Sam Altman’s company. Soon after, the crypto exchange Coinbase separately chose Osborne leading its internal advisory board.

The announcements attracted attention in the UK, where commentators noted that Osborne would join a growing list former British politicians now working for major US technology companies.

If you are not familiar with him or her, here is what you need to know.

What does Osborne’s job look like?

A former Member of Parliament, George Osborne was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 – a role similar to that of Chancellor of the Exchequer or Chancellor of the Exchequer in other countries, and is currently held by Rachel Reeves.

After Prime Minister David Cameron resigned following the 2016 Brexit vote, Osborne finally left public service in 2017. Along with a number of other activities, including a long-term advisory role at investment firm BlackRock, he became editor of Evening Standard from 2017 to 2020.

During that time, he also founded a VC firm, 9yards Capitaland his brother Theo and Brother-in-law of Theo David Fisher as co-founders and managing partners. A number of companies in the 9yards portfolio have since gone public – including Robinhood, Toast, and Coinbase.

What is his new role at OpenAI?

Osborne he announced on X that he joined OpenAI “as executive director and head of OpenAI for (C) countries, based here in London.” They will help expand existing relationships and build new ones, OpenAI CEO Chris Lehane wrote and LinkedIn.

Launched in May 2025, OpenAI for Nations is a way in which the AI ​​company works with governments that want to create data centers in the country and implement ChatGPT in their language and culture.

OpenAI for States is an extension of The Stargate Projectthe $500 billion strategy that OpenAI is currently using building five new data centers across the US with Oracle and SoftBank. But beyond infrastructure, the goal is to “support countries around the world that would like to build democratic railroads for AI.”

OpenAI 10 yearsno wonder it starts hiring the kind of talent it can’t get refused at the Ritz for wearing sports shoes. An Oxford graduate and the son of a baronet, Osborne fits the bill – but his network and reach are key, and his podcast is with former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, called “Political Money,” emphasizes his strong political connections.

His background and connections could be very important for Coinbase, which he was previously advising and where he “will take steps to help us and policy makers around the world,” said the company’s policy director Faryar Shirzad. he told Reuters.

Being on the right side of regulators is crucial for crypto exchanges like Coinbase, which has been trying to lobby governments in the US and beyond. But this is also important for OpenAI, which aims to assess the progress of AI in government.

According to Lehane’s LinkedIn page, Osborne’s decision to take on the role “reflects our belief that AI is becoming increasingly important — and the early decisions about how it is built, controlled, and deployed will change economics and geopolitics for years to come.”

An example to watch

Osborne’s recent position immediately drew comparisons with other British politicians who have joined major US companies.

This includes former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who became Meta’s policy chief. for more than six yearsand, more recently, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is taking advice and Microsoft and AI firm Anthropic.

This raises different concerns depending on your perspective. Some critics are worried about conservative members of Congress like Sunak who could promote the interests of US companies while still in government. Others argue against former bosses like Osborne based on their government skills and connections to protect them very profitable special sector roles.

A ‘revolving door’ phenomenon between the government and the private sector it is not new. But the practice has attracted a lot of attention in Europe, especially foreign companies that are against it – be it technology companies or retailers. like Shein – old hire government officials support compliance and policy changes.

On the other hand, this is just a matter of increasing skills and knowledge. In his profile on the website of the 9yards team, the VC firm points out that “George created many laws that positioned the UK as a world leader in fintech, including the open banking government and the FCA ‘sandbox'”.

Others, however, see Osborne’s career going too far. They refer to his anti-austerity policies as Chancellor, and note that he has a history of moral concerns at the revolving door. For example, when he took over as editor of the Evening Standard in 2017, he failed to get the approval of the government’s social media watchdog – leading to criticism that the agency was “toothless.” His attitude at the time was: “I’m 45 years old, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life just being an ex-leader,” Osborne said.

In any case, that mindset — a quick transition from public service to high-paying private roles — is what makes OpenAI and Coinbase so determined to be part of the broader trend that affects ethics regulators today.