OpenAI hires Uber executive to lead corporate affairs and public trust

A new leader for reputation

OpenAI has officially appointed Jill Hazelbaker as its chief corporate affairs officer. This new role is designed to oversee global communications and corporate positioning for the artificial intelligence company. The appointment was announced on November 3, marking a significant shift in how the organization handles its public image.

Hazelbaker joins the team with a background that spans several major technology firms. She previously served as the president and chief corporate affairs officer at Uber, where she managed marketing, public policy, and safety teams. Her experience includes high-level roles at Snap and Google, as well as work on a 2008 presidential campaign.

The move comes as OpenAI seeks to clarify leadership during a period of rapid growth. By bringing in an executive with deep experience in political and corporate environments, the company aims to better manage its interactions with various stakeholders. This includes not just journalists, but also policymakers, customers, and the communities impacted by AI technology.

Expanding the scope of PR

The new role is described as much broader than a traditional press office function. While a press office typically reacts to questions and manages media coverage, corporate affairs coordinates how a company speaks to different audiences. Hazelbaker's remit includes brand strategy, social media, cultural partnerships, and community convenings.

This scope allows OpenAI to align its public commitments with the actual decisions made by its leadership. By centralizing these functions, the company can ensure that its messaging remains consistent across different platforms. It helps the organization coordinate how it addresses complex issues like product safety, regulation, and employment decisions.

As ContentGrip reported, this expanded remit reflects the widening strategic role of corporate affairs in the tech industry. It suggests that managing a company's reputation is now inextricably linked to its core policy and safety goals. The goal is to ensure that the company's public-facing promises match the operational reality of its technology development.

The importance of public trust

OpenAI has explicitly stated that building public trust is a central objective of this new position. OpenAI president Greg Brockman noted that as AI becomes part of more people's lives, the way the company communicates and earns trust is more important than ever. This suggests that the company recognizes significant public skepticism regarding the role of AI in society.

The appointment serves as a response to the overlapping questions technology companies face today. These include concerns over privacy, intellectual property, and the commercial incentives driving AI development. A corporate affairs leader is tasked with organizing these difficult conversations, even when there is no single message that will satisfy every single audience.

Hazelbaker herself emphasized that building public trust has never been more consequential in her own words. However, the company acknowledges that trust is an objective that requires evidence rather than just messaging. This evidence will come from how the company addresses concerns promptly and whether its executive actions match its public statements.

Strategic leadership for growth

This hire follows a period of leadership transition within OpenAI's communications department. The company's chief communications officer left in early 2026, leaving an interim leader in place. Bringing in a permanent executive like Hazelbaker provides a clear point of accountability for the company's external positioning during a critical time.

For the company, having a senior leader with crisis experience is a strategic advantage. Hazelbaker spent over a decade at Uber, a company that navigated intense political and labor pressures while expanding globally. OpenAI credits her with building the capabilities necessary to support that kind of large-scale growth and international expansion.

The move illustrates how reputation work now intersects with executive decisions and corporate policy. A communications leader in this position needs direct access to the people making the actual decisions about products and safety. Without that access, a communications team can only explain decisions after they are made, rather than helping to shape the underlying facts.

What to watch for next

The effectiveness of this new role will be tested when major issues demand both a clear message and an operational response. Observers will be looking to see if the company changes its existing agency relationships or its internal communications headcount. It remains to be seen whether this appointment will lead to new organizational targets or specific policy changes.

The broader lesson for the tech industry is that corporate affairs is becoming a strategic executive function. It is no longer just about managing the news cycle; it is about coordinating the company's identity with its technological goals. The success of this move depends on whether OpenAI can turn its communication strategy into tangible results that satisfy its diverse stakeholders.

Moving forward, the company will need to demonstrate that its public statements match its actual product and policy changes. Governments and customers alike will be weighing the benefits of AI against the risks of privacy and safety. Hazelbaker's ability to navigate these tensions will be the primary measure of her success in this new role.