Anthropic appoints chief global affairs officer to navigate AI policy amid Trump tensions

Anthropic has hired Mariano-Florentino Cuellar as its first chief global affairs officer to manage government relations and AI regulatory issues, especially with the Trump administration.

Anthropic named Mariano-Florentino Cuellar as its inaugural chief global affairs officer, positioning him at the San Francisco headquarters to steer the company’s interactions with governments worldwide. Reporting to president Daniela Amodei, Cuellar’s portfolio includes handling the strained relationship with the Trump administration, which earlier this year blacklisted Anthropic’s technology and issued export restrictions on its flagship AI models.

Cuellar, who served as a special assistant in former President Barack Obama’s White House and led the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, brings experience in national-security and nuclear-non-proliferation policy. He has also helped shape California’s SB 53 AI whistleblower statute, which Anthropic supports. In addition to leaving Anthropic’s Long-Term Benefit Trust, he will work to resolve the Pentagon’s blacklist through legal channels. The appointment signals the firm’s intent to engage more constructively with policymakers amid growing scrutiny of AI risks.