Article Links and Summaries
AI & Technology Governance
Scaling Laws: Exploring the Intersection of Law, Business, and Emerging Technology
Podcast discussion examining how Bleich's experience as Chief Legal Officer at Cruise prepared him for navigating legal uncertainties in AI governance at Anthropic. Explores the transition from autonomous vehicle regulation to frontier AI policy, covering themes of emerging technology governance and legal frameworks for transformative technologies.
Tool or Trouble: Aligning Artificial Intelligence with Human Rights
Scholarly article arguing that AI's impact on human rights depends not on technical features but on how those features are used—like a hammer that can build a house or break a skull. Uses autonomous vehicles as a case study, discussing both the promise (reducing 40,000 annual roadway deaths) and the risks (surveillance, bias, labor displacement). Proposes that AI companies are engaged in a "trust race" as well as a "tech race," requiring proactive ethical standards and industry collaboration.
Anthropic Taps New General Counsel Amid AI Firm's Funding Push
News coverage of Bleich's appointment as General Counsel at Anthropic, reporting to Chief Legal Officer Brian Israel. Notes Anthropic's aggressive legal team expansion, recruiting attorneys from OpenAI, Meta, BlackRock, and Apple, amid the company's $10 billion funding discussions.
Cruise Hires PG&E Board Chairman Jeff Bleich as Chief Legal Officer
Coverage of Bleich's appointment as Chief Legal Officer at Cruise, the GM-backed autonomous vehicle company. Describes his background as former US Ambassador to Australia and his role as PG&E board chairman during the company's Chapter 11 proceedings following California wildfire liabilities.
Democracy & Rule of Law
The Five Steps Towards Autocracy
Analysis applying Machiavelli's 500-year-old playbook to the Trump administration's first weeks, arguing the actions represent a deliberate strategy rather than chaos. Identifies five steps: forming a militia (January 6 pardons), consolidating power, cowing adversaries, declaring emergency, and controlling the message. Part of Bleich's ongoing Machiavelli analysis project—he is writing a book updating The Prince for modern times.
Bluff Justice
Examination of the Trump administration's constitutional showdown with the courts, analyzing the strategy of issuing legally unsound executive orders designed to be blocked, then framing court orders as a "judicial coup." Compares approach to Putin, Orban, and Netanyahu's strategies for bringing courts to heel through constitutional processes. Argues the threat of defiance itself empowers congressional actions that may achieve the same democratic erosion.
An Open Letter to America's Law Firms
Direct appeal to the legal profession following executive orders against AmLaw 200 firms for representing clients the president found objectionable. Contrasts the 21 firms fighting the orders (with 800+ amici) against the 170 taking no position and the 9 that capitulated, providing nearly a billion dollars in free legal services. Invokes Bleich's credentials as former State Bar president, Supreme Court clerk, and Special Counsel to call for organized resistance.
Legal Scholarship & Profession
Remarks at the First Annual Conference on the California Supreme Court
Remarks on appellate advocacy before the California Supreme Court, offering suggestions for improving briefing and oral argument quality. Emphasizes that good advocacy strengthens judicial decision-making by ensuring justices receive perspectives they might otherwise miss and can test the limits of each side's position. Bleich served as editor-in-chief of the California Law Review during his time at Berkeley Law (1989).
"A Candid Reckoning With a Sordid Chapter" of History
Account of the successful pro bono effort to posthumously admit Hong Yen Chang to the California bar. Chang, the first Chinese lawyer in America, was denied bar membership in 1890-2015 opinion affirmed Chang's "rightful place among the ranks of persons deemed qualified to serve," correcting a 125-year-old injustice rooted in the Chinese Exclusion Act era.
Jeffrey Bleich: Lawyer Limelight
In-depth career interview covering Bleich's path from Supreme Court clerk to partner at Munger Tolles to US Ambassador to Australia. Discusses his pro bono philosophy, the Hong Yen Chang case, and his approach to mentorship and professional development. Provides insight into his decision-making process for career transitions and public service.
Biographical & Institutional Profiles
Jeff Bleich
Comprehensive biographical entry covering Bleich's career arc: clerkships with Chief Justice Rehnquist and Judge Abner Mikva, 19 years at Munger Tolles & Olson, Special Counsel to President Obama (2009-2009-2013), PG&E board chairman, CLO at Cruise, and current role as General Counsel at Anthropic. Includes details on bar leadership (California State Bar president, BASF president) and recognition (Sue Cobb Medal, Burton "Legends in Law").
American Law Institute Member Profile
ALI membership profile. The American Law Institute is the leading independent organization producing scholarly work to clarify and improve the law.
Jeffrey Bleich: Distinguished Ambassadorial Fellow
Profile as Distinguished Ambassadorial Fellow at Australia's premier research institution focused on US-Australia relations. Reflects ongoing connections to Australia following his ambassadorship, during which he strengthened bilateral ties on defense, trade, and climate issues.
Jeff Bleich Centre for Democracy and Disruptive Technologies
Information on the research center named in Bleich's honor, which he chairs. The Centre focuses on the intersection of democratic governance and disruptive technologies—themes central to Bleich's work at Anthropic and his writings on AI governance and democratic resilience.
Visiting Scholar Profile
Profile as Visiting Scholar at Stanford CASBS (2024-25 academic year). CASBS fellowships support researchers working on significant projects; Bleich's research focuses on democracy and disruptive technologies, including his book project updating Machiavelli's The Prince.