---
title: "How OpenAI Cracked The War Code"
date: "2026-04-03"
newsletter: levernews
esp: generic
word_count: 272
has_sponsored_content: false
rad_version: "1.1"
---
# How OpenAI Cracked The War Code

![](https://email.ghost.levernews.com/o/eJwszk1uhDAMxfHTTHYg2wn5WPgwTuIwqAxImZSqt69Ku3z66Un_ysVbb9UoYwgLISI4oy_Z9mmr7FNpiawCSqQKAJhyphjMk7NQ8r6SQFyW0rzFUBs2qUkpJAdmYwLy4MAiIDo7Y8wNQVwLZUma9eFgfZ7vMe96aT_06z2X82U6l_O4tI-Hg65S87eseow_HHxfprvQDM77uU7BE1D8XZ_7xz9dTD8BAAD__8j2Qlg) The company behind ChatGPT recruited Washington’s war insiders — then turned their connections into Pentagon contracts. 

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## How OpenAI Hacked The Military-Industrial Complex

_By Henry Burke_  
 \[[View article in browser](https://www.levernews.com/r/cbf879bd?m=47415e10-4513-4b24-a7c6-03a71324efbc).\]

[![](https://www.levernews.com/content/images/2026/04/LeverNews-AI-Code-War-1.jpg)](https://www.levernews.com/r/13fd2b27?m=47415e10-4513-4b24-a7c6-03a71324efbc)

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Long before concerns mounted over the role of artificial intelligence in combat — including its role in civilian deaths in the Iran war — OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, was quietly embedding itself inside the national security state to profit from algorithmic warfare. 

That included hiring a bipartisan roster of over a dozen government insiders with decades of experience in national security positions between them, plus inking a partnership with a top Trump-connected military contractor. 

After years of shaping U.S. defense policy, these insiders are now assisting the AI giant to cash in on the Trump administration’s [unprecedented defense spending](https://www.levernews.com/r/3ec8dda1?m=47415e10-4513-4b24-a7c6-03a71324efbc) — no matter the ethical quandaries involved. 

The personnel moves appeared to pay off last month, when[...](https://www.levernews.com/r/14d287e3?m=47415e10-4513-4b24-a7c6-03a71324efbc)

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