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Profile: Alex Iftimie

The Altman Network Study · individual profile · compiled 31 May 2026

Relevance to the Altman network

Alex Iftimie is a senior in-house attorney at OpenAI — by his own State Bar listing, situated at OpenAI OpCo, LLC (the core operating entity, formerly Summersafe, L.P.), not at the nonprofit or the public-benefit parent. Publicly he is described as OpenAI’s Deputy General Counsel for Investigations and Security (also styled Associate General Counsel) [22][23]. Before OpenAI he was a senior U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division (NSD) official and a national-security/crisis partner at Morrison & Foerster [24][25]. His placement matters to this study for three reasons: (1) he sits at the entity that answers the SEC probe and the congressional subpoenas catalogued in the legal-actions synopsis; (2) his CFIUS/FARA/national-security specialty is directly adjacent to OpenAI’s government-facing ventures (the Public Sector LLC, Stargate-type infrastructure, and the nuclear-energy deals tracked in Prong 3); and (3) he is a former senior DOJ NSD official now inside OpenAI — a data point the study’s destination filter already treats as sensitive (DOJ NSD being a currently politically-led venue), while noting his DOJ tenure pre-dates the present administration.

Bio

Current role. Deputy General Counsel, Investigations and Security, OpenAI (San Francisco) [22][23]. California Bar #282399, admitted 4 May 2012, status Active; Bar address listed as OpenAI OpCo, LLC, 1455 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94158 [26]. Languages (per Bar): French, Romanian, Spanish [26].

Education. University of Southern California, B.A. International Relations / Business (2003–2007); Yale Law School, J.D. (2008–2011) [23][26]. Named a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow for New Americans [27].

Clerkship. Law clerk to the Hon. Diana Gribbon Motz, U.S. Court of Appeals (2011–2012) [23]. (One aggregator lists the circuit as “Federal Circuit”; Judge Motz sat on the Fourth Circuit — circuit detail to confirm, flagged so the discrepancy isn’t propagated.)

U.S. Department of Justice (c. 2012–2019). Attorney Advisor, National Security Division (2012–2014); later Counselor to the Attorney General, and Deputy Chief of Staff & Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia [24][25]. He was on the prosecution team that brought the DOJ’s first charges against Russian efforts to interfere in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections [25]. Received the Assistant Attorney General Award for Excellence (2014, 2018) and for Distinguished Service (2014) [24].

Morrison & Foerster (2019–c.2023). Joined the D.C. office in April 2019; became partner and co-chair of the Global Risk + Crisis Management group, within the National Security practice [24][25]. Advised Fortune 500 and high-growth clients on CFIUS reviews, FARA, cyber incident/breach response, internal investigations, and government enforcement [25]. Recognized as a Daily Journal “Top Cyber Lawyer” (2022) and in Global Data Review’s “40 Under 40” (2021) [24]. Worked alongside John P. Carlin (MoFo National Security co-head, former DOJ NSD Assistant Attorney General) [24].

Public commentary. A Lawfare contributor; appeared on the Lawfare Podcast discussing DOJ cyber-disruption efforts (2023) and, after moving in-house, OpenAI’s shutdown of state-backed information operations (2024) [22]. Listed with a Federalist Society contributor bio [28].

Investments / board placements

Searched (Pass 6); none documented. No personal investments, startup advisory roles, or external board/director seats for Alex Iftimie surfaced in public sources — consistent with a career spent in government and in a law-firm/in-house counsel capacity rather than as a principal or investor. (If a deeper check is wanted, the next step is PitchBook/Crunchbase person records and any federal financial-disclosure or FARA filings from his DOJ tenure.)

Nodes of interest (questions — not conclusions)

  • N-i1: Why is Iftimie’s Bar registration attached specifically to OpenAI OpCo, LLC rather than OpenAI Inc / OpenAI Group PBC? Does in-house counsel registration simply track the legal employer (the operating entity), or does it indicate where the legal function formally sits?
  • N-i2: What is the documented scope of OpenAI’s “Investigations and Security” function he leads, and does it intersect the company’s handling of the SEC misled-investors probe and the House Judiciary subpoenas (see legal-actions synopsis)?
  • N-i3: Given his CFIUS and FARA background, what role — if any — does he have in OpenAI’s foreign-investment reviews and government-contracting work (Public Sector LLC, Stargate, the Oklo/Helion nuclear deals)?
  • N-i4: He publicly framed OpenAI’s takedowns of “state-backed information operations” (2024). How, if at all, does that internal capability relate to the foreign-censorship/influence questions the House Judiciary is pressing OpenAI on (Nov 2025 subpoena; Mar 2026 preservation letter)?
  • N-i5: Does a former senior DOJ National Security Division official moving in-house at OpenAI create any revolving-door or access considerations worth noting, independent of intent?

Citations

  1. [Archive] Lawfare — contributor bio & podcast episode “OpenAI’s Shutdown of State-Backed Information Operations with Alex Iftimie” (2024): “associate general counsel at OpenAI … formerly a U.S. DOJ national security official … partner and co-chair of the Global Risk + Crisis Management practice at Morrison & Foerster.”
  2. [Archive] RocketReach professional listing — “Deputy General Counsel, Investigations and Security at OpenAI”; USC B.A. (2003–2007); Yale J.D. (2008–2011); DOJ NSD Attorney Advisor (2012–2014); clerk to Hon. Diana Gribbon Motz (2011–2012).
  3. [Archive] Morrison & Foerster — “Alex Iftimie Named Top Cyber Lawyer by Daily Journal” (2022) & HS Today, “Former DOJ National Security Official Alex Iftimie Joins Morrison & Foerster in DC” (Apr 2019): DOJ roles, awards, MoFo practice.
  4. [Archive] Mondaq / MoFo press release, “Former Justice Department National Security Official Alex Iftimie Joins Morrison & Foerster in Washington, D.C.” (2 Apr 2019): Counselor to the AG; first charges re Russian 2018-midterm interference; CFIUS/FARA/FISA advisory.
  5. [Archive] State Bar of California — Licensee #282399 (apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/282399): Active; address OpenAI OpCo, LLC, 1455 3rd St, SF 94158-2210; Yale Law; languages French/Romanian/Spanish.
  6. [Archive] Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans — Alex Iftimie fellow profile.
  7. [Archive] Federalist Society — Alex Iftimie contributor bio (fedsoc.org/bio/alex-iftimie).