Sam Altman is grappling with his political alignment. The 40-year-old CEO of OpenAI, like many of his fellow tech executives in recent years, has expressed that he does not feel at home in the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. In an extended post on X, Altman lamented the fact that he’s now “politically homeless” and yearns for a technocratic utopia—something his once friend and current rival Elon Musk has also been calling for with his push to form a third party. Hmm…interesting timing, yeah?
Altman, who claimed in his post that he’s “not big on identities,” mapped his political evolution over the last couple decades—or rather, how political parties have evolved to move away from him. “The world should get richer every year through science and technology, but everyone has to be in the ‘up elevator,’” he wrote. He also articulated his beliefs that free markets are more efficient than government, that innovation and entrepreneurship are important, and that education is key to America maintaining its edge. Pretty traditional libertarian fare, frankly.
“I believed this when I was 20, when I was 30, and now I am 40 and still believe it. The Democratic party seemed reasonably aligned with it when I was 20, losing the plot when I was 30, and completely to have moved somewhere else at this point. So now I am politically homeless. But that’s fine; I care much, much more about being American than any political party,” Altman wrote.
I’m not big on identities, but I am extremely proud to be American. This is true every day, but especially today—I firmly believe this is the greatest country ever on Earth. The American miracle stands alone in world history.
I believe in techno-capitalism. We should encourage…
— Sam Altman (@sama) July 4, 2025
Altman, a billionaire, said that he’s more interested in candidates who want to “make everyone have the stuff billionaires have instead of how they are going to eliminate billionaires.” And it’s clear that he thinks the route to that outcome is techno-capitalism, an ideology that he explicitly endorses in the post. “We should encourage people to make tons of money and then also find ways to widely distribute wealth and share the compounding magic of capitalism.”
As Altman seeks a home for his capitalist utopia, a vision where markets purportedly redistribute wealth rather than allowing a select few like Altman to hoard it (he does know he can just give his away if he wants, right?), his former OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk has returned to dabbling with the formation of a third party. This push is spurred by Musk’s ongoing opposition to President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which he argues will add to the deficit.
“Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! Should we create the America Party?” Musk asked on X. He’s been kicking around this “America Party” idea for about a month now, claiming that it will represent the “80 percent in the middle” whom he believes are currently without sufficient representation from Republicans or Democrats. The origin of that 80% figure is unclear. A Pew Research poll, for example, found that 25% of people say neither party represents them, 37% wished there were more political parties to choose from, and 26% believed more parties would help solve the country’s problems.
Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!
Should we create the America Party?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 4, 2025
It’s also worth noting that while Musk claims his “America Party” would represent a majority of people, he hasn’t really issued any policy positions or founding principles for the party. Presumably, it’d have a fair amount of overlap with Altman’s general libertarian-leaning beliefs, which often framed as “common sense” ideologies. According to Politico, fellow tech bro Andrew Yang has reached out to Musk to push a third-party collaboration, potentially using his “non-partisan” Forward Party as a model.
Frankly, you’d be hard pressed to find a single issue that 80% of Americans all agree on, let alone enough of them to serve as the foundation of a political party. But having a party of their own would certainly make it more straightforward for the Musks and Altmans of the world to push their preferred interests. Of course, they’d have to settle their own disagreements first.
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![Exclusive: Redwood Materials lays off 10% in restructuring to chase energy storage business | TechCrunch
Redwood Materials has laid off around 135 employees, or roughly 10% of its workforce, as it restructures to better accommodate its growing energy storage business, TechCrunch has learned.
The cuts come just five months after Redwood cut 5% of its workforce, and three months after it closed a 5 million funding round that boosted the battery recycling company’s valuation to north of billion, as TechCrunch previously reported.
It’s been a difficult time in the battery industry lately. Earlier this month, battery recycler Ascend Elements filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing “insurmountable” financial challenges. Some battery-makers have also restructured or gone out of business as the automotive industry in the U.S. has backed away from its most optimistic and ambitious plans to transition to electric vehicles.
But Redwood Materials founder and CEO JB Straubel told employees that this new round of cuts is not a sign that the company is heading down the same path.
“Redwood today is the strongest it’s ever been,” Straubel wrote in an email to the workers who weren’t laid off, according to a copy viewed by TechCrunch. “The materials business is well on its way to profitability and has an exciting roadmap ahead.”
Straubel noted that Redwood “continue[s] to dominate the US battery recycling market” but also touted the company’s “great momentum” in its new energy storage business. Redwood has recently announced deals with Crusoe AI and, most recently, electric automaker Rivian to provide recycled batteries that can be used to power those companies’ facilities. The company declined to comment beyond the contents of Straubel’s email.
In his message, Straubel wrote that “parts of the company have expanded faster than needed to support the direction” of Redwood. As a result, he said Redwood is making cuts across multiple divisions, including the engineering and operations organizations, according to an employee who was granted anonymity to discuss the layoffs.
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San Francisco, CA
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October 13-15, 2026
“We are confident that we can deliver on our critical projects with a smaller team that is more focused,” he wrote. “We have successfully adapted to changes in the market that have bankrupted many of our competitors.”
Straubel went on to write that he is “more excited than ever with our path ahead as we build the most integrated and cost-effective critical materials and energy storage business in the world.”
“This is a self-sustaining business and will continue to make this company more valuable over time. We have the team and the technology to do what no other company can,” he wrote.
Workers who were laid off were told by Redwood’s chief HR officer that the layoffs were made “to sharpen our focus, our work and the size of our teams to support the direction Redwood is going in the future,” according to a copy of her email, which was viewed by TechCrunch.
Employees who were laid off are receiving severance and paid health benefits, according to Straubel’s email, as well as “career transition assistance.”
“I am grateful to the approximately 135 employees who we say goodbye to today — they’ve all contributed to building Redwood,” he wrote.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Exclusive #Redwood #Materials #lays #restructuring #chase #energy #storage #business #TechCrunchBatteries,battery recycling,electric vehicles,EVs,Exclusive,Redwood Materials](https://i1.wp.com/techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/53200897797_87d290a75e_o.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 "Exclusive: Redwood Materials lays off 10% in restructuring to chase energy storage business | TechCrunch
Redwood Materials has laid off around 135 employees, or roughly 10% of its workforce, as it restructures to better accommodate its growing energy storage business, TechCrunch has learned.
The cuts come just five months after Redwood cut 5% of its workforce, and three months after it closed a 5 million funding round that boosted the battery recycling company’s valuation to north of billion, as TechCrunch previously reported.
It’s been a difficult time in the battery industry lately. Earlier this month, battery recycler Ascend Elements filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing “insurmountable” financial challenges. Some battery-makers have also restructured or gone out of business as the automotive industry in the U.S. has backed away from its most optimistic and ambitious plans to transition to electric vehicles.
But Redwood Materials founder and CEO JB Straubel told employees that this new round of cuts is not a sign that the company is heading down the same path.
“Redwood today is the strongest it’s ever been,” Straubel wrote in an email to the workers who weren’t laid off, according to a copy viewed by TechCrunch. “The materials business is well on its way to profitability and has an exciting roadmap ahead.”
Straubel noted that Redwood “continue[s] to dominate the US battery recycling market” but also touted the company’s “great momentum” in its new energy storage business. Redwood has recently announced deals with Crusoe AI and, most recently, electric automaker Rivian to provide recycled batteries that can be used to power those companies’ facilities. The company declined to comment beyond the contents of Straubel’s email.
In his message, Straubel wrote that “parts of the company have expanded faster than needed to support the direction” of Redwood. As a result, he said Redwood is making cuts across multiple divisions, including the engineering and operations organizations, according to an employee who was granted anonymity to discuss the layoffs.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA
|
October 13-15, 2026
“We are confident that we can deliver on our critical projects with a smaller team that is more focused,” he wrote. “We have successfully adapted to changes in the market that have bankrupted many of our competitors.”
Straubel went on to write that he is “more excited than ever with our path ahead as we build the most integrated and cost-effective critical materials and energy storage business in the world.”
“This is a self-sustaining business and will continue to make this company more valuable over time. We have the team and the technology to do what no other company can,” he wrote.
Workers who were laid off were told by Redwood’s chief HR officer that the layoffs were made “to sharpen our focus, our work and the size of our teams to support the direction Redwood is going in the future,” according to a copy of her email, which was viewed by TechCrunch.
Employees who were laid off are receiving severance and paid health benefits, according to Straubel’s email, as well as “career transition assistance.”
“I am grateful to the approximately 135 employees who we say goodbye to today — they’ve all contributed to building Redwood,” he wrote.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Exclusive #Redwood #Materials #lays #restructuring #chase #energy #storage #business #TechCrunchBatteries,battery recycling,electric vehicles,EVs,Exclusive,Redwood Materials")
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