OpenAI reportedly hires ex-Pentagon chief Mark Esper to expand military AI work
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-11-03
OpenAI has reportedly hired Mark Esper, Donald Trump's former defense secretary, to help expand its military AI business.
- Esper led the Army from 2017 to 2019, then ran the Pentagon until his November 2020 firing
- He previously spent 7 years in government relations at Raytheon, giving him deep weapons-procurement experience
- As defense secretary he backed the Pentagon's early AI ethics programs, relevant to the usage limits OpenAI says it enforces
A significant hiring signal as OpenAI pushes further into the defense market.
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