OpenAI Hires Former White House Cyber Official Thomas Lind to Lead National Security Policy
Thomas Lind, a former White House cyber official, has joined OpenAI as the head of cyber and strategic risk on its national security policy team. Lind was hired by OpenAI in the week of October 2, 2026, after leaving his role at the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) in June 2026.
Lind's focus during his time at ONCD was the overlap between AI policy and cybersecurity. He was instrumental in crafting a June 2, 2026 executive order on AI safety frameworks that established a voluntary review process for high-capability models. This means developers can use the review channel, but are not required to.
Lind's new role at OpenAI puts him inside the company's national security policy team, where he will cover cyber and strategic risk areas related to advanced AI. His experience in cybersecurity frameworks and strategy from the government side positions him to connect private sector work on model safety with federal efforts in the same area.