Why British politicians are flocking to American tech giants

The AI ​​talent wars show no signs of slowing down, with companies making headlines every week for their latest high-profile hires. This also applies to engineers who steal them from each other or acquisition-hiring but also, increasingly, senior executives who can support them in scaling up.

Less than 10 days after Slack CEO Denise Dresser became the Chief Revenue Officer of OpenAIThis was announced by former British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne joining Sam Altman’s company. Shortly afterwards, the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase separately named Osborne leading the internal advisory board.

The announcements attracted particular attention in Britain, where commentators noted that Osborne had joined a growing list of former British politicians who now work for major American technology companies.

If you’re not familiar with him or this trend, here’s what you need to know.

What was Osborne’s career like?

George Osborne, a former Conservative MP, was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 – a role equivalent to that of Chancellor or Chancellor of the Exchequer in other countries, and currently held by Rachel Reeves.

After Prime Minister David Cameron resigned following the 2016 Brexit vote, Osborne eventually left public office in 2017. In addition to several other assignments, including a part-time advisory role for the investment firm BlackRock, he was editor of the Evening standard from 2017 to 2020.

During that period he also co-founded a VC firm, 9 meters capitalwith his brother Theo and Theo’s brother-in-law David Fisher as co-founders and managing partners. Several companies in 9yards’ portfolio have since gone public, including Robinhood, Toast and Coinbase.

What is his new role at OpenAI?

Osborne announced on X for which he joined OpenAI “as managing director and head of OpenAI [C]countries, based here in London.” He will help expand existing partnerships and build new ones, wrote Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer is LinkedIn.

Introduced in May 2025, OpenAI for countries is an initiative through which the AI ​​company is working with governments looking to build data center capacity in the country and localize ChatGPT for their language and culture.

OpenAI for Countries is an extension of the Stargate Projecta $500 billion initiative that OpenAI is currently engaged in building five new data centers in the US with Oracle and SoftBank. But beyond infrastructure, the stated goal is to “support countries around the world that prefer to build on democratic AI rails.”

OpenAI turns 10it’s only natural that it’s going to hire the kind of talent it won’t get rejected from the Ritz for wearing sneakers. Osborne, an Oxford graduate and son of a baronet, fits the bill – but his network and reach are even more valuable, and his podcast with former Labor shadow chancellor Ed Balls, called “Political currency” underlines his extensive political connections.

His track record and contacts could be even more directly relevant to Coinbase, which he already advised and where he will now “play a much more active role in helping us engage with policymakers around the world,” said Faryar Shirzad, the company’s chief policy officer. told Reuters.

Staying on the right side of regulators is especially important for crypto exchanges like Coinbase, which has made efforts to influence governments in the US and abroad. But this is also crucial for OpenAI, which plans to play a role as AI gains a foothold in governments’ agendas.

According to Lehane’s LinkedIn post, Osborne’s decision to take on the role « reflects a shared belief that AI is becoming a critical infrastructure – and that early decisions about how it is built, governed and deployed will shape the economy and geopolitics for years to come. »

The pattern to look at

Osborne’s latest role immediately drew parallels with other high-profile British politicians who later went on to join major US tech companies.

These include former British Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who served as Meta’s policy chief over six yearsand, more recently, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak taking on an advisory role with Microsoft and AI company Anthropic.

This trend raises different concerns depending on your perspective. Some critics worry about active MPs like Sunak potentially advocating for US corporate interests while still serving in government. Others disagree that former officials like Osborne want to use their government experience and connections to secure it very lucrative positions in the private sector.

The ‘revolving door’ phenomenon between government and the private sector is not new. But the practice has gained increasing attention in Europe, especially when it comes to controversial foreign companies – whether they are technology companies or retailers like Shein – hire former government officials help navigate regulations and influence policy.

Seen from the other side, this is simply a matter of utilizing skills and experience. In its biography on 9yards’ team page, the VC firm touts that “George devised many of the regulations that positioned Britain as a global fintech leader, including the open banking regime and the FCA ‘sandbox’.”

Others, however, view Osborne’s career moves more critically. They point to his controversial austerity policies as chancellor, and note that he has a history of ethical concerns surrounding the revolving door. For example, when he took over as editor of the Evening Standard in 2017, he failed to first seek approval from the government’s ethics watchdog – a move that led to the body being criticized as ‘toothless’. His attitude at the time was telling: “At 45, I don’t want to just be an ex-chancellor for the rest of my life,” Osborne declared.

In any case, that mentality – which is rapidly moving from public service to high-paying private positions – is exactly what makes his OpenAI and Coinbase appointments part of a broader pattern that has ethics watchdogs concerned today.