Describe OpenAI's lobbying strategy in local governments in Texas

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OpenAI’s local-government “lobbying” strategy in Texas is less about working every city hall one-by-one, and more about (1) smoothing big infrastructure projects at the county/city level and (2) making it easy for local governments to buy OpenAI-related services through statewide/co-op procurement channels, while the company’s formal registered lobbying footprint shows up mostly at the state level.

1) Use state-level leverage to shape the local playing field

2) “Procurement-first” instead of “ordinance-first”

3) Infrastructure siting: negotiate locally where the real money is

4) Work through intermediaries (resellers, integrators, “AI marketplaces”)

5) Likely “watch-outs” they plan around (because locals care)

What you can infer about OpenAI’s Texas-local strategy from the evidence we do have

-They are in the state lobbying system (suggesting top-down policy influence).
-They prioritize procurement channels locals already trust (DIR/co-op).
-They engage locally hardest where they must: mega-infrastructure siting + incentives + energy/community plans.

If you want, I can also map this into a “local targets” checklist (city managers, EDCs, county judges/commissioners courts, MPO/COG procurement, municipal utilities/co-ops) and the documents you’d pull to verify activity (abatement agreements, development corporation minutes, DIR purchase orders, municipal lobby registries).