SUBJECT-9144.dossier · company · status: active
OP
subject of file

OpenAI

AI research company; emerging DoD/IC contractor; Microsoft strategic partner
Tracked because Priority 3 investigation target. Primary AI competitor to Palantir's data integration and analysis offerings. Defence and intelligence work represents the direct competitive overlap between the two networks.
Editorial summary · AI-drafted from public records

AI research and deployment company with emerging portfolio of defence and intelligence contracts, including partnerships with the Pentagon, intelligence agencies, and national laboratories. Complex nonprofit-to-for-profit governance transition. Represents the AI-specific dimension of the opposing network's government influence.

Facts on record31
Connections mapped37
Sources cited22
Inferential claims1
✦ Thin coverage gap +110 connected to 37 entities · only 31 facts on record · flagged for follow-up research
Evidence: 30S+22 1I
Network web → Timeline → Compare with… → Wikipedia history → Position Drift → Coverage tone → View on Graph → View Card → Conduct Profile → Export CSV JSON Dossier ← Entity Directory
🧠 Cognitive harm you own/control
Primary confidence
Aggregated from 1 platform owned, funded, or controlled by OpenAI.
42
Score 0–100
Moderate
ChatGPT
42
2 documented harms · Moderate
Score combines documented harm count, severity weighting, platform reach, and engineered mechanisms. See full methodology →
🧠 Cognitive harm via shared boards / co-investments
Inferential confidence
Tracked platforms owned by entities this person sits on a board with, founded with, or co-invested in.
2 documented harms · Documented
via Reid Hoffman (investor)
Inferred path: each card shows the connecting entity. See full methodology →
Stated vs Revealed
No documented contradictions on file.
Documented Lies 1 promise broken or quietly abandoned All lies →
Violated Catastrophic Primary evidence Military Promised 2023-03-23 00:00:00+00
OpenAI: usage policy bars 'military and warfare' applications
Primary source: OpenAI Usage Policies, archived 8 January 2024 ↗ 1 sourced violation Full record →
[PUBLIC COST ESTIMATE]
Documented financial relationships span 0 money flow chains, while 10 elected officials hold documented connections.
0Money Chains
0Traced Hops
Connected Officials
Calculation Methodology

Contract values are summed from documented money flow chains where this entity appears as a source or destination node. Amounts are drawn from USASpending.gov, FEC filings, SEC EDGAR, or LD-2 lobbying registrations.

Donor contributions aggregate documented amounts from the donor_interests table, sourced from FEC individual and PAC contribution filings.

Connected officials are elected officials in our database with a mapped relationship (lobbying, board membership, campaign contribution, etc.) to this entity.

Annualised flow represents the total documented dollar amount traced through money flow hops involving this entity. Where hop-level amounts are unavailable, the chain-level documented total is used as a conservative upper bound.

All figures are drawn from public filings. Estimates are conservative — undisclosed transactions, dark money, and vanish-point hops are excluded from totals. This is a minimum documented floor, not a ceiling.

PATTERN elected official → [donor] → person → [investor] → company 2167× PATTERN organization → [donor] → elected official → [not directly... 801× PATTERN company → [donor] → person 730× PATTERN person → [donor] → company → [competitor] → company 558× PATTERN person → [oversight] → institution → [contractor] → company 475×
Connection Map
Key Connections
← Dario Amodei person
employment
Dario Amodei was previously a research scientist and VP of Research at OpenAI before leaving to co-found Anthropic.
← Good Ventures institution
grant recipient
Good Ventures / Open Philanthropy provided early funding and ongoing grant support to OpenAI, including a $30 million grant in 2016 and additional support for AI safety research. This is a documented philanthropic connection.
← Anthropic company
competitor
OpenAI is a direct competitor to Anthropic in the development of advanced AI language models, with both having competing products (ChatGPT vs Claude).
← Igor Babuschkin person
previous employment
Igor Babuschkin previously worked at OpenAI as a researcher or engineer before co-founding xAI.
→ Sam Altman person
employment
Sam Altman serves as executive of OpenAI Global LLC (for-profit entity) and holds roles at OpenAI Inc. (nonprofit board). His compensation, equity, and financial interest in government contracts are not publicly disclosed.
→ Anduril Industries company
strategic_partner
OpenAI announced a strategic partnership with Anduril in December 2024 for defense sector engagement.
→ US Department of Defense (Pentagon) institution
defence contracting client
OpenAI has recent (2024-2025) defence contracts with the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) and other DoD entities under Other Transaction Authority agreements.
← Ilya Sutskever person
employment
Ilya Sutskever was the former Chief Scientist at OpenAI.
Facts (31)
Data Freshness
Ageing Last update: 50d ago · Avg age: 256d
Confidence Tiers: Primary Source — cross-referenced government/corporate filings Pending Review — sourced but not independently verified AI Inference — analytical hypothesis from cross-referencing
✓ Verified Findings (30)
Independently re-checked: a second model read the source artifact and confirmed it supports the extracted claim.
Partially Corroborated The lack of disclosure of OpenAI’s contract use cases and technical specifications extends to applications with civil liberties implications, creating a comprehensive documentation gap
Partially Corroborated The classified and trade-secret-protected nature of OpenAI’s defence contracts prevents public documentation of specific surveillance and targeting applications
Partially Corroborated No public records document the civil liberties implications of OpenAI’s model deployments in government contexts
Partially Corroborated No public records document the specific extent to which OpenAI’s models are used for targeting applications by defence agencies
Partially Corroborated No public records document the specific extent to which OpenAI’s models are used for surveillance applications by intelligence agencies
Partially Corroborated The financial relationship between Sam Altman’s roles at OpenAI Inc. (nonprofit board) and OpenAI Global LLC (for-profit executive) regarding government contracts is not publicly clarified
Partially Corroborated Any special financial arrangements or incentives for Sam Altman related to OpenAI’s defence and intelligence contracts are not documented in public records
Partially Corroborated OpenAI’s private status and complex nonprofit-for-profit governance structure prevent public disclosure of Sam Altman’s executive compensation and personal equity details
Partially Corroborated No public records specify how Sam Altman’s compensation is tied to OpenAI’s government contract revenue or performance
Partially Corroborated No public records disclose Sam Altman’s personal equity stake in OpenAI Global LLC or his financial interest in the company’s government contracts
Partially Corroborated The security clearance and access protocols distinguishing OpenAI Inc. board members from OpenAI Global LLC employees on classified contracts are not specified in public records
Partially Corroborated The financial flows between OpenAI’s nonprofit and for-profit entities, particularly revenue derived from government contracts, are not publicly reported
Partially Corroborated Microsoft’s $13 billion investment and Azure Government integration introduce additional, undocumented layers of complexity into OpenAI’s defence contracting structure
Partially Corroborated The governance mechanisms by which OpenAI’s nonprofit board oversees the for-profit arm’s government contracting activities are not transparently documented
Partially Corroborated The specific legal entity (OpenAI Inc. vs. OpenAI Global LLC) holding each of OpenAI’s defence contracts is not publicly disclosed
Partially Corroborated The deployment architecture, data access protocols, and security parameters for OpenAI’s defence contracts are not publicly documented
Partially Corroborated Any custom-trained or fine-tuned models developed for defence and intelligence agencies would be subject to both classification and trade secret protections
Partially Corroborated OpenAI’s proprietary AI models used in defence applications are protected as trade secrets under US law, limiting public disclosure of their specific capabilities
Partially Corroborated The specific technical specifications, model versions, and use cases of OpenAI’s defence contracts are not disclosed in any public records
Partially Corroborated OpenAI’s CDAO contracts for 'frontier AI projects' involve capabilities that are not publicly specified due to classification or trade secret protections
Partially Corroborated OpenAI’s nonprofit-to-for-profit governance structure creates ambiguity about which legal entity holds defence contracts, potentially complicating USASpending.gov reporting and aggregation
Partially Corroborated The Anduril-OpenAI strategic partnership announced in December 2024 signals emerging defence sector engagement that may not be fully reflected in public contracting databases due to recency and procurement vehicle types
Partially Corroborated OpenAI’s contracts under Other Transaction Authority agreements with CDAO or other DoD entities are subject to different disclosure timelines than traditional FAR-based contracts, contributing to documentation gaps
Partially Corroborated OpenAI’s work as a subcontractor to Microsoft on Azure Government defence contracts is not separately listed under OpenAI’s name in USASpending.gov
Partially Corroborated OpenAI’s defence contracts with CDAO are recent (2024-2025) and may not yet appear in USASpending.gov due to standard reporting lags of 30-90+ days
Partially Corroborated OpenAI's defence contracts are recent and not fully documented in USASpending.gov due to reporting lags.
Partially Corroborated The specific capabilities OpenAI provides to defence and intelligence agencies are classified or protected as trade secrets.
Partially Corroborated The relationship between OpenAI's nonprofit governance structure and its for-profit government contracting arm is complex and not fully transparent.
Partially Corroborated The extent to which OpenAI's models are being used for surveillance, targeting, or other applications with civil liberties implications is not publicly documented.
Partially Corroborated Sam Altman's personal financial interest in OpenAI's government contracts is not publicly disclosed.
AI Analysis (1)
AI-generated inferences derived from cross-referencing primary and secondary data. These are analytical hypotheses, not established facts — they are the platform's read, not its record, and the verification pipeline covers their provenance, not their truth. Where verification stops →
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 OpenAI filed filing with the SEC on 2026-05-04. Accession number: N/A.
All Connections (37)
→ USASpending.gov institution
Missing Reporting primary since 2026
No USASpending contracts found for 'OpenAI' in public databases or web search as of 2026-05-13. OpenAI’s work as a subcontractor to Microsoft and recent defense contracts may not appear due to reporting lags or procurement vehicle types.
→ Securities and Exchange Commission government agency
Regulatory Filing primary since 2026
OpenAI filed a filing with the SEC on 2026-05-04. Accession number is N/A.
→ Intelligence Community institution
Defense/Intelligence Contractor inferential since 2024
No public records document the specific extent to which OpenAI’s models are used for surveillance applications by intelligence agencies. The specific capabilities provided are classified or protected as trade secrets.
→ Anduril Industries company
strategic_partner primary since 2024
OpenAI announced a strategic partnership with Anduril in December 2024 for defense sector engagement.
→ Sam Altman person
employment primary since 2023
Sam Altman serves as executive of OpenAI Global LLC (for-profit entity) and holds roles at OpenAI Inc. (nonprofit board). His compensation, equity, and financial interest in government contracts are not publicly disclosed.
potential_government_client inferential since 2024
OpenAI's model use for surveillance applications by intelligence agencies is not publicly documented, but noted in the context of government deployments with civil liberties implications.
potential_government_client inferential since 2024
No public records document the specific extent of OpenAI's model use for surveillance or targeting by intelligence agencies, though classified contracts exist.
potential_government_client inferential since 2024
No public records document OpenAI's model use for surveillance applications by intelligence agencies, including NSA.
defence contracting client, contractor primary since 2024
OpenAI has recent (2024-2025) defence contracts with the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) and other DoD entities under Other Transaction Authority agreements. · OpenAI has defense contracts with DoD entities including CDAO, with capabilities that are classified or protected as trade secrets.
← Brian Schimpf person
strategic_partner confirmed
Anduril and OpenAI announced a strategic partnership in December 2024 to integrate generative AI into counter-drone defence systems. OpenAI's first collaboration with a commercial weapons manufacturer.
← Chris Brose person
strategic_partner confirmed
As Anduril's strategy chief, shapes the company's partnership strategy including the December 2024 OpenAI-Anduril alliance for military AI in counter-drone systems.
← Reid Hoffman person
investor secondary
Hoffman was an early investor in OpenAI and served on its board. His ownership stake and ongoing influence over the organisation's transition from nonprofit to for-profit structure is a key investigation target.
← Microsoft company
investor primary
Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI and integrated OpenAI models into Azure Government cloud infrastructure. The extent to which Azure Government hosts or enables OpenAI's defence and intelligence work is a key investigation target.
← Founders Fund company
investor secondary
Founders Fund is a major investor in OpenAI. This cross-network investment (alongside its Palantir stake) represents the most significant anomaly in the opposing network analysis.
← Eric Schmidt person
advisory relationship inferential
Schmidt's relationship with OpenAI leadership is not systematically documented. His defence AI policy work may influence OpenAI's government contracting strategy.
← xAI company
competitor primary
xAI competes directly with OpenAI in the foundation-model market; both build frontier LLMs targeting consumer and enterprise developers.
← Zac Moffatt person
donor primary
Connection documented in FINDING-2026-009
← Ilya Sutskever person
employment primary since 2024
Ilya Sutskever was the former Chief Scientist at OpenAI.
← Raja Krishnamoorthi person
industry supporter via AI group primary since 2026
His Senate campaign received support from an AI industry group backed by OpenAI.
organizational overlap primary since 2026
IFC advisory committee includes a corporate lobbyist representative from OpenAI.
← TechCrunch company
coverage_subject secondary since 2016
TechCrunch publishes frequent updates on OpenAI's AI models (GPT series), corporate governance changes, and industry impact.
← Chuck Schumer elected official
indirect_association inferential since 2024
No direct connection documented; Schumer's leadership role in Senate could involve AI policy but not substantiated in provided facts.
← Anthropic company
competitor primary since 2021
OpenAI is a direct competitor to Anthropic in the development of advanced AI language models, with both having competing products (ChatGPT vs Claude).
alias primary since 2026
ChatGPT is documented as a deprecated alias for OpenAI, indicating the entity name is an alternative identifier for OpenAI.
investor primary since 2026
David Sacks, former a16z partner, now controls regulatory fate of major a16z portfolio company OpenAI as AI/Crypto Czar
← Lateefah Simon person
policy_interest inferential since 2025
Simon accepts cryptocurrency donations and has a campaign page dedicated to innovation including crypto, AI, and blockchain (AI overlap with OpenAI's domain)
← Hakeem Jeffries elected official
no_direct_connection_listed inferential since N/A
Both Jeffries and OpenAI appear in the known entities database, but the documented facts about Jeffries contain no information establishing a connection.
← Dario Amodei person
employment primary since 2016
Dario Amodei was previously a research scientist and VP of Research at OpenAI before leaving to co-found Anthropic.
← Alphabet company
competitor inferential since 2022
Alphabet (Google) competes with OpenAI in the AI and large language model space (e.g., Gemini vs. ChatGPT).
Investor (via MGX) secondary since 2024
MGX, chaired by Tahnoun bin Zayed, participated in funding rounds for OpenAI, reflecting the UAE's AI investment strategy.
contractor primary since 2024
Pentagon's CDAO awarded contracts to OpenAI for frontier AI projects
← Meta Platforms company
competitor inferential since 2025
Meta AI reached 1 billion MAUs; Meta competes with OpenAI in generative AI market space.
← Igor Babuschkin person
previous employment primary since 2022
Igor Babuschkin previously worked at OpenAI as a researcher or engineer before co-founding xAI.
← Good Ventures institution
grant recipient primary since 2016
Good Ventures / Open Philanthropy provided early funding and ongoing grant support to OpenAI, including a $30 million grant in 2016 and additional support for AI safety research. This is a documented philanthropic connection.
← Reid Hoffman Foundation institution
Indirect Connection via Hoffman inferential since 2015
Reid Hoffman was an early investor in and board member of OpenAI; the Foundation's AI grantmaking agenda is influenced by this relationship.
← PayPal Mafia organization
Organization supported by member funding secondary since 2015
Elon Musk (PayPal Mafia) was a co-founder and early funder of OpenAI; Peter Thiel also invested.
← Thom Tillis elected official
not directly connected inferential
No direct connection found in Tillis's documented facts.
Sources (22)
2024-03-22 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — OpenAI (2024-03-22) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2024-03-22 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D — MAV OpenAI Fund I, a series of MAV Alternate Investments, LP (202… sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2025-02-18 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D/A — OPENAI - FUTURUM A SERIES OF MASTER FUND I LLC (2025-02-18) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: OpenAI — Lobbying disclosures (no results) government_disclosure Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: OpenAI — Court records (no results) court_document Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: OpenAI — Corporate registrations (no results) government_disclosure Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: OpenAI — Parliamentary records (no results) parliamentary_record Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-15 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — OpenAI (2026-05-15) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2025-08-05 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D — OpenAI Startup Fund SPV VI, L.P. (2025-08-05) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-04 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — OpenAI (2026-05-04) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-04-17 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — OpenAI (2026-04-17) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2024-11-19 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D — Homies II OpenAI SPV Oct 2024 a Series of CGF2021 LLC (2024-11-19… sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2024-02-02 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D — OpenAI Startup Fund SPV I, L.P. (2024-02-02) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-01-08 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D — OpenAI Tender Fund I Sep 2025 a Series of CGF2021 LLC (2026-01-08… sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-15 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D — OpenAI-01, a Series of OpenAI Opp Fund LLC (2026-05-15) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: OpenAI — USASpending contracts (no results) contract Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-11 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — OpenAI (2026-05-11) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-09 UNVERIFIED SEARCH_ERROR: OpenAI not found in usaspending claim_flag Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-09 UNVERIFIED SEARCH_ERROR: OpenAI not found in sam_gov claim_flag Processed 📜 Receipt
2025-02-18 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — OpenAI (2025-02-18) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-09 UNVERIFIED SEARCH_ERROR: OpenAI not found in opencorporates claim_flag Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-08-26 ↗ SEC EDGAR: D — OpenAI Startup Fund II, L.P. (2026-08-26) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt