From Campaign Stunt to Corporate Strategy
Henry Williams and David Oks gained national attention in 2019 by hijacking the Twitter account of former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel. The two teenagers used the platform to funnel radical leftist critiques of American capitalism through the persona of an 89-year-old anti-war icon. Their operation became a digital touchstone for the disaffected left. It challenged the influence of corporate power and mocked mainstream Democratic messaging. Seven years later, the duo has moved into the boardrooms of Silicon Valley. Both Williams and Oks recently joined the Strategic Futures team at OpenAI.
This shift places them within one of the most well-funded technology companies in the world. OpenAI holds a valuation exceeding $850 billion and pursues systems designed to change how labor functions across the global economy. Their new supervisor is Dean W. Ball. He served as an AI policy adviser during the Trump administration and brings a background in right-wing think tanks to the project. Ball hired the pair for their writing and editing skills. He stated that his primary interest lies in their ability to analyze the long-range political consequences of artificial intelligence rather than their past ideological leanings.
The Rise and Fall of the Gravel Institute
Following the conclusion of the 2020 election cycle, the duo pivoted toward building the Gravel Institute. The nonprofit aimed to serve as a progressive competitor to conservative platforms like PragerU. They produced video content featuring public intellectuals and policy experts such as Robert Reich and Matt Bruenig. The organization operated from a Brooklyn studio with funding from hundreds of thousands of Patreon supporters. Its public mission focused on explaining economic disparities and systemic injustice to a wide audience.
Despite this apparent growth, the institution collapsed rapidly by 2023. Former employees reported that the organization fired its entire staff over a single weekend in April 2022. Several high-profile speakers listed on the institute's roster never appeared in any content. Former production lead Tymon Brown noted that operations ceased with little explanation. Financial records indicate the organization continued to accept public donations via ActBlue until September 2024. While Williams and Oks deny claims of unpaid vendor debt, the abrupt closure left many former staff members and contributors with unanswered questions about the organization's final months.
Aligning with Institutional Power
Observers note that the transition from leftist activist to tech industry employee follows a pattern of career advancement. Both men spent time at organizations like Andreessen Horowitz before landing their current roles. Williams worked at the Bank for International Settlements following his graduation from Columbia University. Oks attended Oxford and later wrote for Palladium, a publication linked to neo-reactionary intellectual circles. These moves suggest a shift toward alignment with venture capital interests rather than the grassroots movements they once led.
Critics argue that this evolution reflects a modern trend toward the commodification of the self. Journalist Nathan Tankus describes the pair as examples of individuals molding their identities to suit the demands of market power. While Williams and Oks maintain that their move to OpenAI allows them to mitigate risks associated with superintelligence, the pivot remains a stark reversal of their original public profile. The broader industry continues to recruit talent from diverse political backgrounds to manage the narrative surrounding the impact of AI on the workforce. As they step into their roles at OpenAI, Williams and Oks now serve as the public face for a company grappling with the consequences of its own rapid technological expansion.