Center for Humane Technology Shrinks Staff to Focus on Founder-Led AI Advocacy

The Center for Humane Technology (CHT), the nonprofit cofounded by former Google engineer Tristan Harris that gained global attention through the documentary *The Social Dilemma*, is eliminating approximately half of its workforce. According to former employees, the organization will discontinue its policy research and legal advocacy efforts to concentrate exclusively on what it terms “founder-led” projects.

Among those departing are executive director Julie Guirado and senior director of strategy Camille Carlton. The reductions come shortly after CHT achieved significant legal victories against social media giants, including a landmark settlement with Meta that restricts how platforms operate regarding teenage users. These lawsuits were bolstered by CHT’s research into algorithmic designs that target youth engagement.

Internal debates regarding the group’s strategic direction have persisted for years among its 16 non-founder staff members. The board concluded that attempting to function simultaneously as a high-profile advocacy organization fronted by Harris and as a traditional think tank producing academic policy papers had overextended its resources. In a statement, board chair Premal Shah emphasized that the urgent risks posed by accelerated artificial intelligence development require a singular strategic focus.

“This moment of accelerated AI risk demands we focus on one strategy, and we have chosen to focus on what we have always done best so that we can meet the moment,” Shah said. “Mass communications creates grassroots pressure, which unlocks action from the grasstops,” adding that Harris remains one of the few figures capable of effectively communicating with mass media audiences across the political spectrum.

Under the new model, CHT will prioritize public education, targeted briefings, and private coordination. Functions such as litigation support and AI tool evaluation will be discontinued. The organization has been vocal about the dangers of advanced AI, recently co-sponsoring a petition calling for a pause in AI development and organizing congressional hearings on chatbot risks. Harris also recently starred in the Netflix documentary *The AI Doc*, which calls for legislative intervention to mitigate technological harms.

Founded in 2017 alongside Aza Raskin and Randy Fernando, CHT has an annual budget of roughly $6 million, supplemented by similar reserves, funded largely by wealthy families and foundations. However, former staff members have expressed concern that the pivot away from institutional advocacy and toward personality-driven outreach could divert resources from issues related to democratic integrity and civil liberties.

Gail Barnes, who provided social media strategy advice to the center during its formative years, criticized the decision to deprioritize work that translated Harris’s fame into structural industry change. She noted that the choice reflects a belief that the primary obstacle to AI regulation is a lack of public awareness, rather than a lack of institutional leverage within companies.

Former employees described a workplace culture often characterized as chaotic, citing high turnover and management styles that some found taxing. While Shah acknowledged the fast pace driven by the mission’s urgency, he attributed turnover to disagreements over problem analysis rather than the leadership controversies cited by staff.

Despite internal friction, the broader strategy of holding tech companies accountable has yielded tangible results. Beyond the Meta settlements, state attorneys general have pursued litigation against major platforms, and juries have issued penalties based on evidence regarding app design. Nevertheless, critics within and outside the organization argue that the shift away from grassroots and legal work toward celebrity-led advocacy may undermine long-term systemic change.