How One Silicon Valley Congressman is Trying Get AI Mega Money Out of Politics

In early April, a staffer for Sam Liccardo, a freshman congressman representing the heart of Silicon Valley, got a call from a reporter telling them he was about to receive an endorsement—from Leading the Future, the $125 million political action committee funded by Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Palantir billionaire Joe Lonsdale. It was the first Liccardo and his team had heard about the support.

Under normal circumstances, most political candidates would leap at the chance to have a deep-pocketed super PAC behind them, particularly one with Leading the Future’s pedigree. And after all, Liccardo’s district includes the headquarters of some of the world’s largest tech companies. But ahead of this year’s midterm elections, Leading the Future has become a poster child among politicians for the increasingly radioactive AI industry, whom voters are blaming for everything from job losses to rising electricity prices.