Here's a number that should stop you cold: 53% of lobbyists working on data center and AI infrastructure issues are former government officials. Not 10%. Not 25%. More than half.
That statistic, drawn from lobbying disclosure records cross-referenced with government employment databases, reveals a structural feature of the AI policy landscape that doesn't get nearly enough attention. The people writing the rules and the people lobbying to change them are, in many cases, the same people — just at different points in their careers.
The Numbers
According to our analysis of federal lobbying disclosures and revolving door data tracked by OpenSecrets:
- 53% of registered lobbyists on data center/AI infrastructure issues previously held government positions
- 41% of all AI-policy lobbyists (across all AI subtopics) are former government employees
- The average "cooling off" period before former officials begin lobbying is 14 months — barely past the legal minimum in most cases
- Former congressional staffers make up the largest cohort, followed by ex-agency personnel from the FTC, NIST, DOD, and OSTP
Which Agencies Are Losing People?
Not all agencies are equal when it comes to the revolving door. The ones losing the most talent to AI lobbying are, unsurprisingly, the ones most central to AI policy:
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
NIST's AI Safety Institute, created following Biden's 2023 Executive Order, became ground zero for AI standards. Several senior technical staff and policy advisors departed between 2024 and 2025 for roles at AI companies or lobbying firms. Their expertise in AI evaluation and safety testing is exactly what companies need to navigate — or shape — the standards their products will be measured against.
FTC (Federal Trade Commission)
The FTC has been the most aggressive federal enforcer on AI issues, bringing cases against companies for AI-related deception and unfair practices. Former FTC attorneys and policy staff are in high demand from companies facing — or anticipating — enforcement actions. At least seven former FTC officials now work at firms representing major AI companies, per OpenSecrets data.
DOD (Department of Defense)
AI procurement is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity. Former DOD officials who understand the Joint AI Center (now the Chief Digital and AI Office) procurement process are extraordinarily valuable to companies seeking defense AI contracts. This revolving door is particularly active around autonomous systems and intelligence analysis AI.
OSTP (Office of Science and Technology Policy)
The White House's science office shaped the Biden AI agenda and continues to influence policy under the current administration. Former OSTP staff carry relationships and institutional knowledge that money can't buy — but lobbying firms will certainly try.
The Playbook
The revolving door follows a predictable pattern:
- Government service: An official works on AI policy, gaining expertise, relationships, and understanding of regulatory levers
- Cooling off: They observe the legally required waiting period (typically 1-2 years, depending on seniority and role)
- Private sector landing: They join an AI company's government affairs team or a lobbying firm with AI clients
- Leveraging access: They use their former-colleague relationships and inside knowledge to advance their new employer's interests
This isn't illegal. In most cases, it doesn't even violate ethics rules. But it creates a gravitational pull that's hard for public interest to overcome.
Why This Matters for AI Regulation
The revolving door isn't just about individual career choices. It has systemic effects on how AI gets regulated:
- Brain drain: Agencies lose their most knowledgeable people to industry, weakening the government's capacity to understand and regulate AI effectively
- Regulatory capture: When regulators know their future employers are the companies they're regulating, it creates — at minimum — an unconscious bias toward industry-friendly outcomes
- Information asymmetry: Former officials carry non-public institutional knowledge about regulatory priorities, enforcement strategies, and internal debates that gives their new employers a massive advantage
- Relationship leverage: Former colleagues are more likely to take meetings, return calls, and give sympathetic hearings to people they know personally
The Company Side
AI companies are actively recruiting from government. Job postings from Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google for "government affairs" and "policy" roles frequently list government experience as preferred or required. Compensation in the private sector typically dwarfs government salaries — a former GS-15 making $160K can easily double or triple their salary at a major tech company.
The most aggressive hiring has come from companies with the most at stake in regulatory outcomes. OpenAI, facing existential questions about liability and safety regulation, has built a substantial government affairs operation largely from former government personnel. Anthropic, while publicly supporting regulation, has similarly staffed up with former officials who understand how to shape legislative language.
What Would Fix This?
Policy solutions exist but face their own political obstacles:
- Longer cooling-off periods: Extending the ban on lobbying former agencies from 1-2 years to 5 years would slow the revolving door significantly
- Higher government pay: Competitive salaries would reduce the financial incentive to leave for lobbying
- Lifetime bans on specific issues: Officials who work on AI policy could be banned from lobbying on AI topics permanently
- Enhanced disclosure: Requiring more detailed reporting of former-government-official status in lobbying disclosures
None of these proposals currently have significant political momentum. The people who would need to pass them are, in many cases, planning their own future transitions through the same door.
We track every lobbyist, every company, and every connection we can find. Explore the data on our company profiles to see who's hiring from government — and who those former officials are lobbying.