Lurie beat incumbent Mayor London Breed this past election with the help of donations from other tech leaders in artificial intelligence. While his transition team was largely made up of political figures, as a political novice, he included two businessmen: Altman and Mission Asset Fund CEO José Quiñonez.

“We each share a commitment to accountability, service, and change. These leaders will provide guidance as we move forward, building a government that serves all San Franciscans,” Lurie said of his team. “They represent a diverse set of viewpoints, I look forward to leaning on them in the days to come as we get ready to tackle some of our biggest challenges, including public safety … making sure that we streamline the bureaucracy so that once again city hall is working for you.”

In the days following the election, Altman touted his AI chatbot, ChatGPT, because of its response when asked for a political endorsement. While other chatbots were guilty of listing positive attributes of Vice President Kamala Harris, ChatGPT wrote, “I don’t have personal opinions or the ability to endorse political candidates.” This response included a list of both candidates’ policies.

San Francisco has struggled to keep tech companies in its city limits in recent years. Late last year, Google and Australian developer Lendlease gave up on its development project to build some 15,000 new housing units along with retail and community components.

Camilo Acosta, head of a fund that invests in AI, cited the city’s crime as a business deterrent. Acosta donated to Lurie’s campaign in hopes that his business could operate without fear of further break-ins.