---
category: Authors & Journalists
created: 2026-09-23
location: Washington, D.C., USA
relations:
- fn: 2
  start: 2022
  type: employed_by
  with: '[[Politico]]'
- end: 2022
  fn: 1
  role: technology correspondent
  start: 2017
  type: employed_by
  with: '[[National Journal]]'
- end: 2017
  fn: 1
  type: employed_by
  with: '[[Morning Consult]]'
- fn: 1
  role: political reporter
  type: employed_by
  with: '[[National Review]]'
- fn: 1
  type: employed_by
  with: '[[The Daily Caller]]'
- fn: 5
  start: 2023
  type: investigated
  with: '[[Open Philanthropy]]'
summary: Politico technology reporter, previously at National Journal, Morning Consult,
  National Review and the Daily Caller, who in 2023 reported on Open Philanthropy's
  network of funded AI policy fellows.
tags:
- Person
- Journalist
- Politico
- ArtificialIntelligence
- OpenPhilanthropy
updated: 2026-09-23
---

Brendan Bordelon is an American technology policy reporter at *[Politico](/organizations/politico/)*. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate of the University of California, Riverside, he worked at *The Daily Caller*, for two years as a political reporter at *National Review*, and at Morning Consult, covering technology and cybersecurity policy, before National Journal hired him as technology correspondent from March 27, 2017.[^1] He also holds a master's degree from George Washington University.[^2]

### Politico

Bordelon joined Politico on January 25, 2022 to write the *Morning Tech* newsletter.[^2] In January 2023 the global technology editor, Steve Heuser, named him "Tech Influence reporter," covering the industry's influence on politics and policy.[^3] In September 2026 he was one of four authors, with Calder McHugh, Christine Mui and Sam Sutton, of the newsletter of Politico's new technology policy unit, Decoded.[^4]

### Reporting on Open Philanthropy

On October 13, 2023 Bordelon reported on the policy fellows funded by [Open Philanthropy](/organizations/open-philanthropy/), writing that the [Horizon Institute for Public Service](/organizations/horizon-institute-for-public-service/) was "a nonprofit that Open Philanthropy effectively created in 2022," that Horizon fellows worked in the offices of Senators Martin Heinrich, Mike Rounds and Todd Young, and that the [Center for Security and Emerging Technology](/organizations/center-for-security-and-emerging-technology/) was "funded almost entirely by Open Philanthropy." He described [Jason Matheny](/people/jason-matheny/) of the [RAND Corporation](/organizations/rand-corporation/) as "a luminary in the effective altruist community."[^5] On December 15, 2023 he reported on RAND's part in [Joe Biden](/people/joe-biden/)'s executive order on AI.[^6] *[Semafor](/organizations/semafor/)* reported in December 2025 that Open Philanthropy had been "bothered by media coverage of it, in particular a series of critical stories from Politico."[^7]

[^1]: Roush, Chris. "National Journal hires Bordelon as tech reporter." *Talking Biz News,* March 20, 2017. https://talkingbiznews.com/they-talk-biz-news/national-journal-hires-bordelon-as-tech-reporter/
[^2]: Ahmed, Mariam. "Bordelon to join Politico to anchor 'Morning Tech' newsletter." *Talking Biz News,* January 7, 2022. https://talkingbiznews.com/they-talk-biz-news/bordelon-to-join-politico-to-anchor-morning-tech-newsletter/
[^3]: Roush, Chris. "Politico names Ives its deputy tech editor, Bordelon its tech influence reporter." *Talking Biz News,* January 7, 2023. https://talkingbiznews.com/media-news/politico-names-ives-its-deputy-tech-editor-bordelon-its-tech-influence-reporter/
[^4]: Roush, Chris. "Politico launches Decoded, a tech policy coverage initiative." *Talking Biz News,* September 16, 2026. https://talkingbiznews.com/media-news/politico-launches-decoded-a-tech-policy-coverage-initiative/
[^5]: Bordelon, Brendan. "How a billionaire-backed network of AI advisers took over Washington." *Politico,* October 13, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20250902172514/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/13/open-philanthropy-funding-ai-policy-00121362
[^6]: Bordelon, Brendan. "Think tank tied to tech billionaires played key role in Biden's AI order." *Politico,* December 15, 2023, archived February 11, 2026. http://web.archive.org/web/20260211112614/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/15/billionaire-backed-think-tank-played-key-role-in-bidens-ai-order-00132128
[^7]: Tani, Max. "AI critics funded AI coverage at top newsrooms." *Semafor,* December 7, 2025. https://www.semafor.com/article/12/07/2025/ai-critics-funded-ai-coverage-at-top-newsrooms