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Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks during Snowflake Summit 2025 at Moscone Center on June 02, 2025 in San Francisco, California.
Sam Altman says it has to do with the party's relationship with billionaires like him.
Sam Altman's rightward shift has seemingly begun as he announces he's leaving the Democratic Party shortly after cozying up to Donald Trump's administration.
The out gay Open AI CEO took to X/Twitter — the platform of his rival, Elon Musk — on Friday to share his thoughts about the state of politics in the U.S., including his disillusionment with Democrats. This feeling didn't arise because he believes the party isn't listening to its voters, but rather because it's not prioritizing billionaires like him.
"The Democratic party seemed reasonably aligned with it when I was 20, losing the plot when I was 30, and completely to have moved somewhere else at this point," Altman wrote. "So now I am politically homeless. But that’s fine; I care much, much more about being American than any political party."
"I’d rather hear from candidates about how they are going to make everyone have the stuff billionaires have instead of how they are going to eliminate billionaires," he continued, seemingly in response to the victory of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, the week prior.
The 33-year-old self-described Democratic socialist beat out former New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, in what was described as a political upset after running a grassroots campaign that mobilized young voters. Despite his victory, he has still not received endorsements from top Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and other senior party members
Mamdani ran on a platform centered around making life in NYC affordable: free buses, universal childcare, city-owned grocery stores, and a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. He also advocated for human rights and was outspoken about his views on condemning the war in Gaza, Trump's decision to bomb Iran, and the disappearance of Mahmoud Khalil.
Mamdani has said that he does not believe billionaires should exist in an equitable society, but has not said he intends to eliminate them. He told NBC News’ Meet the Press, “I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country. And I look forward to working with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fair for all of them."
Altman previously endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, and frequently stated publicly his disdain for Trump. Several posts from Altman collected by journalist Kara Swisher, including some from as far back as 2016, contain criticisms of Trump, including some where Altman states "I think Trump is terrible and few things would make me happier than him not being president," and "Back to work tomorrow on a new project to stop Trump."
"To anyone familiar with the history of Germany in the 1930s, it's chilling to watch Trump in action," Altman wrote in 2016. "Though I know intellectually it's easy in hard economic times to rile people up with a hatred of outsiders, it's still surprising to watch this happen right in front of us. Hitler taught us about the Big Lie — the lie so big, and so often repeated, that people end up believing it. Trump's Big Lie is hiding in plain sight. His Big Lie is that he's going to Make America Great by keeping us safe from outsiders."
Altman would later stand behind Trump during his January inauguration. He professed his loyalty to the administration after Trump rescinded an executive order from Joe Biden placing guardrails around AI development, while also announcing a $500 billion private sector investment in AI infrastructure known as Stargate, which OpenAI will lead.
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