Another SF political operative heads to AI: ex-Yekutiel spokesman joins Anthropic

Connor Skelly, a former spokesman for San Francisco supervisor candidate Manny Yekutiel, joined Anthropic in September to work on "special projects," Mission Local reports.

Why it matters: At least six San Francisco political operatives have moved to AI companies, which are pouring money into politics and paying salaries Mission Local puts at $200,000 to $400,000.

Who has moved

• Skelly left the Yekutiel campaign in July and spent three years on the SFMTA Citizens' Advisory Council. Yekutiel dropped out of the race Oct. 1.
• Michael Lai, a 2024 District 11 supervisor candidate, has been at Anthropic since May 2025.
• Ann O'Leary, former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom and a former deputy city attorney, became OpenAI's vice president of global policy in January.
• Laura Bisesto, a former assistant district attorney, has been chief of staff to OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar since August 2024.
• Lobbyist Alex Tourk has been paid $80,000 by Anthropic, per Mission Local.

Political consultants Sam Singer and Daniel Anderson and GrowSF's Jason Galisatus commented on the trend in Mission Local's report.