The Midas Project

What The Midas Project does

The Midas Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit watchdog organization founded in 2024 by Executive Director Tyler Johnston, registered in Oklahoma (Tulsa) and operating with a core team of 1-10 paid staff supplemented by an unpaid volunteer network coordinated through Discord. The organization's stated mission is to ensure AI technology benefits the public rather than solely the companies developing it, which it pursues by monitoring frontier AI companies, producing investigative research, and coordinating advocacy campaigns.

Its product surface consists of several distinct research and monitoring platforms: The OpenAI Files, a 14,000-word research archive on OpenAI's governance and culture (June 2025); Model Republic, a publication investigating AI lobbying launched January 2026; Seoul Tracker, a compliance monitoring tool tracking 16 companies against 2024 Seoul AI Safety Summit pledges; Watchtower, a real-time system monitoring changes and violations of corporate AI safety policies; the Open Letter to OpenAI initiative (10,000+ signatories including 100+ Nobel laureates); and periodic coalition reports targeting specific AI companies (e.g., xAI's safety practices in the context of SpaceX's planned IPO). The organization also files regulatory complaints, including an IRS complaint against OpenAI and coalition letters to state and federal regulators.

The business model is donation-based: as a 501(c)(3), The Midas Project relies on public donations processed through every.org, refuses corporate contributions from monitored companies and their leadership, and does not charge for its research or advocacy outputs. Distribution occurs through the organization's website, email newsletter, X (100M+ views on The OpenAI Files), Bluesky, LinkedIn, Discord community, earned media in 20+ outlets (Time, NBC News, Reuters, Politico, TechCrunch, The Verge, Fortune, etc.), and coalition partnerships with organizations including Tech Oversight Project, Consumer Federation of America, Encode, Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology, and Guidelight AI Standards. Customer segments are horizontal: general public supporters, civil society organizations, regulators and policymakers, and media.

Name

The Midas Project

Legal name

The Midas Project, Inc.

Website

https://themidasproject.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Midas Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit watchdog founded in 2024 that monitors frontier AI companies through investigative publications, policy tracking tools, and regulatory complaints, serving the general public, civil society organizations, regulators, and media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Policy Advocacy and Research

akta.pro primary industry

Model Monitoring, Accountability & Incident Management (HDAAAMAF)

Keywords

• AI accountability advocacy
• AI policy watchdog
• Nonprofit research
• Corporate AI monitoring
• AI safety publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: The Midas Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that relies on donations from the public to continue its work. Donations are processed through every.org platform. U.S. donors can claim tax deductions for donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Midas Project is an independent nonprofit watchdog that produces investigative research, publications, and real-time monitoring tools on the governance, safety, and lobbying activities of leading AI companies. Its deliverables include investigative reports (Model Republic), a research archive (The OpenAI Files), an AI safety pledge tracker (Seoul Tracker), a real-time policy monitoring system (Watchtower), advocacy initiatives such as the Open Letter to OpenAI, and coalition reports on specific AI companies. Distribution is free and supported by public donations.

Product overview

The Midas Project is a watchdog nonprofit organization that operates as a platform of research initiatives, publications, and monitoring tools focused on AI accountability. The core offerings include Model Republic (an investigative publication on AI lobbying), The OpenAI Files (a comprehensive research archive on OpenAI's governance), the Seoul Tracker (an AI safety commitment monitoring tool), an Open Letter to OpenAI (a transparency advocacy initiative with over 10,000 signatories), Watchtower (a real-time policy change monitoring system), and periodic coalition reports investigating specific AI companies' safety practices. These products work together to monitor AI companies, counter corporate propaganda, raise awareness about corner-cutting, and advocate for responsible AI development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Model Republic: A publication from The Midas Project investigating the AI lobby's influence on policy and regulation.
• The OpenAI Files
• Seoul Tracker

Products and services

• The OpenAI Files A comprehensive research archive compiling documented concerns, credible reports, and insider accounts about governance practices, leadership integrity, and organizational culture at OpenAI. Free to the public; targeted at journalists, regulators, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens.
• Model Republic An investigative publication that publishes deeply researched analysis of the AI industry, policy moves, and forces shaping AI rules, with a focus on AI lobbying and corporate influence. Free to the public.
• Seoul Tracker An online tracking tool that assesses progress across leading AI companies' compliance with red line risk evaluation policies pledged at the 2024 Seoul AI Safety Summit. Free to the public.
• Watchtower A real-time tracking system on The Midas Project website that monitors changes to and violations of corporate AI safety policies at leading AI companies, with filters by change type (Change, Addition, Removal, Violation) and importance (Major, Moderate, Slight). Free to the public.
• Open Letter to OpenAI A coalition-led open letter initiative with over 10,000 signatories including Nobel laureates, former OpenAI employees, and civil society organizations, calling on OpenAI for greater transparency about its restructuring. Free to sign.
• xAI: The Unpriced Risk in SpaceX's IPO A coalition report detailing xAI's failure to adopt safety practices taken by other AI companies and the unusual number of safety incidents, intended to inform prospective SpaceX IPO investors about xAI's safety practices and financial risks. Free to the public.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EncodecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Coalition partner in releasing 'xAI: The Unpriced Risk in SpaceX's IPO' report, examining xAI's safety practices and their implications for prospective IPO investors.
• Legal Advocates for Safe Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Coalition partner in releasing 'xAI: The Unpriced Risk in SpaceX's IPO' report.
• Guidelight AI StandardscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Coalition partner in releasing 'xAI: The Unpriced Risk in SpaceX's IPO' report.
• Consumer Federation of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2025Led coalition of consumer protection, privacy, and digital rights advocacy organizations filing formal request for investigation calling on state and federal regulators to investigate xAI's Grok Imagine platform for facilitating non-consensual intimate imagery.
• Tech Oversight ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Collaborative partnership on The OpenAI Files investigation - a 14,000-word comprehensive report on OpenAI's governance, leadership integrity, and organizational culture. Both organizations describe themselves as 'independent research organizations focused on corporate accountability and technology oversight.'
• Every.orgminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Donation processing platform partner that enables public donations to The Midas Project as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mozilla Foundation: A nonprofit foundation addressing internet health and AI accountability. Comparable as both focus on responsible technology advocacy, though Mozilla has broader scope spanning privacy, web standards, and now AI.
• Partnership on AI: A multistakeholder nonprofit developing AI best practices. Comparable as both work on AI governance, though Partnership on AI collaborates with industry while The Midas Project takes an adversarial watchdog stance.

Direct peers

• Center for AI Safety (CAIS): A research nonprofit focused on reducing societal-scale risks from AI. Direct peer as both organizations monitor AI safety commitments and produce independent assessments of frontier AI companies.
• Future of Life Institute (FLI): A nonprofit working to reduce existential risk from transformative technologies, particularly AI. Direct peer as both organizations campaign on AI safety policy and track corporate AI commitments.
• Encode: A youth-led AI advocacy organization. Direct peer as both operate in AI accountability advocacy and have co-published reports, including the xAI SpaceX IPO risk report.
• Algorithmic Justice League: A nonprofit combining art and research to highlight AI harms and algorithmic bias. Direct peer as both organizations conduct independent AI accountability work and advocate for affected communities.
• AI Now Institute: A nonprofit research institute examining the social implications of artificial intelligence. Direct peer as both organizations conduct independent AI policy research and advocacy targeting corporate AI practices.
• Tech Oversight Project: An accountability organization focused on Big Tech. Direct peer as both organizations monitor corporate accountability of technology companies and co-produced The OpenAI Files investigation.

Broad incumbents

• Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT): A nonprofit advocating for digital rights and democratic values in technology policy. Comparable as both engage in policy advocacy on technology accountability, though CDT has broader issues and longer institutional history.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): A long-established nonprofit defending digital civil liberties. Comparable as both engage in technology accountability advocacy, though EFF covers broader digital rights and has far larger institutional footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheMidasProj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-midas-project

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Midas Project