You joined OpenAI in June 2024 and are Head of Business Development & Partnerships, Infrastructure and Compute. Can you describe your main responsibilities and how this position differs from your prior role at Amazon?
I started at Amazon as in-house counsel and then transitioned to the business side to help launch its live sports business before moving to a role in Amazon’s logistics business. My roles at Amazon sat at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds, which was a very helpful experience before moving to OpenAI.
Both OpenAI and Amazon operate in highly dynamic environments. At OpenAI, I lead the commercial strategy function for the infrastructure and compute team. I work closely with our subject matter experts and cross-functional partners to develop and execute infrastructure and compute projects. I oversee a team of people and serve as the strategic lead and negotiator for key partnerships. I build relationships across the company by earning trust and delivering results, which is very similar to what I did at Amazon. Both roles are highly cross-functional and fast-paced.
Amazon gave me breadth across multiple businesses; OpenAI gives me depth in an area central to scaling AI. At Amazon, there was extensive collaboration across a wide range of business lines, which provided valuable learning opportunities and broad perspectives. At OpenAI, the business centers on infrastructure and compute as the means of both creating and distributing intelligence, resulting in a distinct operating model and set of strategic priorities.
What inspired the shift from a traditional legal role to the business side, and how has your legal background influenced the way you approach business leadership and strategy?
The move looked more dramatic from the outside than it felt from the inside. One of the reasons I continue to work so closely with S&C as outside counsel is that the firm takes a deeply commercial approach to advising clients. Whether you sit on the legal or business side, much of the work ultimately revolves around structuring, negotiating, and executing agreements. The core toolkit, understanding objectives, structuring solutions, negotiating agreements, and getting complex work done, carried over. What changed was the locus of accountability: I became directly responsible for more of the strategy and the business outcome. It has been fun and interesting to have more direct responsibility for decision-making, but the core workflow has not changed significantly.
At Amazon, the opportunity arose to move to the business side because I was already spending an increasing amount of time doing non-traditional legal work in addition to my legal responsibilities. It became a natural transition to focus fully on supporting the business from a commercial and strategic perspective. I have not seen many lawyers make that transition, but I have seen another S&C alumnus at OpenAI move to the business side after becoming deeply embedded in the business and serving as a subject matter expert.
For people considering a move from the legal side to the business side, I encourage them to think less about the theoretical divide and more about the type of work they enjoy and the role they want to play within an organization. Do they want to be more involved in corporate and commercial strategy? Those opportunities do exist if they find the right environment and fit. There is also significant overlap between legal and business work, making the transition more attainable than many people might expect.
What surprised you the most about moving from a law firm environment to an in-house role?
It took me about a month to adjust to life outside the billable-hour model and to internalize the emphasis on speed, efficiency, and thoughtful risk-taking that comes with being an in-house lawyer. The value I provided as in-house counsel was not measured in billable hours, but by whether I was helping the business solve problems, make decisions, and achieve its objectives.
At S&C, I learned to analyze complex issues rigorously and identify the considerations a client needs to make a sound decision. In-house, I learned to apply that rigor on a different clock: to distinguish quickly between risks that must be addressed and risks the company can knowingly accept.
Every company has a different culture and operating model. I encourage lawyers considering an in-house role to look for organizations that view legal as a strategic partner and trusted adviser, rather than as a cost center. At both Amazon and OpenAI, legal is valued for its expertise and judgment.
What do you see as the biggest legal questions emerging around AI and technology today?
AI raises inherently multidisciplinary legal questions because its scale touches intellectual property, commercial arrangements, regulation, governance, and infrastructure at the same time. And the scale at which we are operating at OpenAI is quite new. We think of it as comparable to the scale of classic infrastructure projects, such as building dams and bridges. It has been great working with the diverse practice groups at S&C to develop a multidisciplinary approach to AI-related issues, drawing on expertise from intellectual property, commercial, real estate, regulatory, and other areas of law.
People think about AI from many different perspectives, but at its core, AI can be viewed as another highly capable participant in the decision-making process. People are looking for certainty and the “Truth.” The depth of new information and capability of problem-solving tools can be concerning as well, much like the introduction of the internet. AI can expand the scope and speed of analysis, but it does not transfer accountability. As professionals, we need to understand our audience, evaluate sources critically, and exercise judgment. Those skills become more important, not less, as the tools become more capable.
When I was in school, educators commonly worried that the internet would give us all the answers and that people would stop thinking critically. What actually happened was that we became more accountable for conducting deeper research because we suddenly had access to much more information.
S&C is known for giving associates significant responsibility and rigorous training early in their careers. How did your experience as an associate at the firm shape the way you think, lead, and navigate the different chapters of your career?
I am very grateful for the experience and outstanding training I received at S&C. I chose to join the firm after law school because of its approach to generalist training, which gave me exposure to commercial real estate, M&A, capital markets, securities, and a wide range of other practice areas. That experience provided an incredible foundation early in my career. I had the opportunity to learn from exceptional S&C partners, and the work helped me build a versatile toolkit for approaching different industries, business models, and complex situations.
Working across a wide range of transactions and agreements taught me how to find the few issues that drive a complex situation, become fluent in unfamiliar subjects quickly, and apply principles across industries. Much of what I do today involves applying principles and concepts drawn from diverse disciplines in a rapidly evolving industry. The training at S&C gave me the foundation to do that. For example, even the diligence and document review exercises at S&C exposed me to a tremendous volume and variety of agreements. That experience trained me to tackle unfamiliar subjects, learn new areas quickly, and develop a strong understanding of complex issues in a short period of time.
Is there a piece of advice you received early in your career that has stayed with you?
An important piece of advice I received early in my career was to be the architect of my own professional path. While mentors can provide invaluable guidance and support, no one else can define your goals or make the key decisions that shape your career.
It is important to take ownership of your own development. Make decisions that align with the kind of professional you want to become, pursue work that genuinely interests you, and ensure that you are continuously building skills that will serve you throughout your career.
