OpenAI announced on 3 November 2026 that Jill Hazelbaker will join as chief corporate affairs officer, leading its global communications and corporate positioning. The appointment puts a former Uber president in charge of how the AI company presents itself to the public and the institutions shaping its future.
Key points
- OpenAI says Hazelbaker will lead global communications and corporate positioning.
- She most recently served as president and chief corporate affairs officer at Uber.
- Her earlier work includes senior roles at Snap and Google and communications posts in US politics.
Hazelbaker takes OpenAI’s corporate affairs brief
OpenAI says Hazelbaker will work with its leaders to build public understanding of AI and trust in the company’s mission. That gives the role a wider brief than announcing products: the company is asking her to handle its relationship with the people and institutions it wants to reach.
Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s co-founder and president, framed the hire around public trust. “As AI becomes part of more people’s lives, how we communicate, engage, and earn public trust has never been more important,” he said in the company’s announcement.
Hazelbaker described that work in similarly direct terms. “The work of building public trust has never been more consequential,” she said, calling AI “the most profound technological shift of our lifetime”. Those are her expectations for the role, rather than a measure of what the appointment will achieve.
Uber promoted Hazelbaker in May 2026
Hazelbaker became Uber’s president and chief corporate affairs officer in May 2026, after joining the company as vice-president of policy communications in 2015, O’Dwyer’s reported. The promotion was the latest step in more than a decade of communications and corporate affairs work there.
In her most recent Uber role, Hazelbaker oversaw global communications, marketing, public policy, safety and people teams, according to OpenAI. O’Dwyer’s reported that her responsibilities also covered recruiting and real estate. The breadth of that remit helps explain why OpenAI is hiring her into a corporate affairs post rather than a communications-only one.
OpenAI credits Hazelbaker with helping Uber manage regulatory and reputational challenges during its growth.
Hazelbaker’s earlier roles span Snap and politics
Before Uber, Hazelbaker led communications and public policy at Snap. At Google, she held senior posts covering worldwide corporate communications, communications in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and European government relations, OpenAI says.
Her political work predates those technology roles. OpenAI says Hazelbaker was National Communications Director and chief press representative for Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, and served as Press Secretary to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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