San Francisco’s mayor-elect picks Sam Altman to co-chair transition team

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie has picked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to help run his transition team as he prepares to take office in January, Lurie said.

“I’m excited to help the city I love, and where OpenAI was started, as it begins its next chapter with Mayor-elect Lurie stepping into his new role,” Altman said in a statement shared with Fast Company.

Altman will serve on the team alongside nine other advisors, including former Twitter CFO Ned Segal and prosecutor Nancy Tung. San Franciscans voted for Lurie, a Levi Strauss heir who has no governmental experience, to replace incumbent mayor London Breed, who many criticized for not having done enough to curb the city’s retail-crime and drug-abuse rates.

Part of Altman’s appeal could be his vast influence in tech. Lurie will have to work to rebuild the city’s relationships with tech and business leaders who had condemned the city’s work on the public safety crisis and, in some cases, even closed their offices and moved out.

“We each share a commitment to accountability, service, and change,” Lurie said in a statement announcing his transition team. “These leaders will provide guidance as we move forward, building a government that serves all San Franciscans.”

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