Artificial intelligence research organization OpenAI announced the appointment of Jill Hazelbaker as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer on November 3, 2026. This senior leadership move concludes a nearly nine-month search to fill the communications and brand positioning leadership role, which had been vacant since early 2026.
A leadership addition from politics and technology
Hazelbaker will report directly to OpenAI Co-founder and President Greg Brockman, with her final day at ride-hailing company Uber set for November 30, 2026. In her new role, she will oversee the company’s entire public profile, including global communications strategy, corporate positioning, social media, cultural and community partnerships, and public policy affairs.
President Greg Brockman noted that as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in the lives of hundreds of millions of users, how the company engages in dialogue and builds trust with the public is more critical than ever. Hazelbaker joined Uber in 2015 and was promoted to President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer in May 2026, playing a pivotal role in helping Uber navigate a series of regulatory and reputational crises worldwide. Previously, she led communications and public policy at Snap, and held senior roles overseeing European government relations at Google. In Washington, she is regarded as one of the most well-connected executives, having served as communications director for Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and as a spokesperson for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Institutional strengthening ahead of policy crossroads
Bringing on an executive seasoned in political circles comes at a pivotal juncture as OpenAI undertakes a sweeping restructuring of its governance structure to prepare for public offerings and new fundraising rounds, following adjustments such as lowering its fundraising target to a maximum of $20 billion in its most recent financial negotiations.
At the same time, pressure to adjust commercial products also demands clarity in public messaging, exemplified by moves such as merging token-based usage limits across ChatGPT and Codex to optimize compute costs. Notably, Hazelbaker’s arrival comes right after the company launched a policy lobbying campaign in Washington, including an effort to push for regulations on AI training speed limits ahead of the midterms. The presence of a veteran affairs strategist signals that OpenAI is actively preparing for more contentious institutional debates over accountability and government oversight of advanced language models.