OpenAI and Anthropic build out Washington lobbying machines to shape AI legislation

Silicon Valley’s two most prominent AI companies are no longer content to let Washington figure out AI policy on its own. OpenAI and Anthropic have both established dedicated lobbying operations in the nation’s capital, complete with physical offices, growing headcounts, and rapidly escalating budgets designed to ensure they have a seat at every table where AI rules get written.

Their combined federal lobbying expenditures hit $3.17 million in the second quarter of 2026, a 23% increase over the prior quarter. Anthropic alone spent $1.97 million during that stretch, outpacing even Nvidia’s lobbying outlay for the same period.

Two offices, two very different playbooks

Anthropic moved first, opening its Washington office in April 2026. OpenAI followed a month later in May, christening its space “The Workshop.”

OpenAI is championing a framework it calls “reverse federalism.” The idea is to encourage consistent state-level AI legislation that would effectively create unified national standards through bottom-up convergence rather than top-down federal mandates. The pitch to lawmakers: developers shouldn’t have to navigate 50 different compliance regimes to ship a product.

Anthropic has taken a more aggressive regulatory posture, actively pushing for stringent safety mandates across multiple states. In 2025, Anthropic became the first major AI lab to endorse California’s pioneering AI regulation law. In July 2026, Anthropic donated $20 million to Public First Action, a political group dedicated to advocating for robust AI safety measures.

Why now, and why this aggressively

Both companies are reportedly preparing for potential IPOs, and few things make institutional investors more nervous than regulatory uncertainty. There’s also the matter of upcoming midterm elections, which can dramatically alter the trajectory of tech legislation.

The competitive chess match behind the policy positions

OpenAI, which has the largest user base and the most commercially deployed products, benefits from regulatory uniformity that makes scaling easier. A patchwork of strict state laws would be more burdensome for a company trying to operate consumer-facing AI tools across every US market.

Anthropic, which has built its reputation on safety research and responsible development practices, benefits from regulations that reward exactly those investments. Stricter safety mandates raise the bar for every competitor, but Anthropic can credibly argue it’s already clearing that bar.

The $3.17 million in combined quarterly lobbying spend is still modest compared to what the largest tech companies deploy, but a 23% quarter-over-quarter increase suggests these budgets are on a steep upward curve, particularly as concrete legislation moves through state capitols and federal committees gain momentum on AI-specific bills.

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