Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman warned that the United States risks losing its democracy if China wins the race for artificial superintelligence, citing the rapid buildout of data center infrastructure as a critical signal. In a social media post on Wednesday, Ackman highlighted that China is not imposing moratoriums on data centers, unlike parts of the US policy environment where regulatory constraints have slowed expansion. He argued that this divergence provides China with a strategic advantage in the global competition for AI dominance.

Ackman pointed to the massive computational power required to train next-generation AI systems, noting that facilities for scaling large language models are essential as compute demands rise. He identified Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Tencent, Baidu Inc., and ByteDance as the corporate engines behind Beijing’s push, committing tens of billions to AI infrastructure build-out by 2027. Ackman framed this expansion as direct participation in a high-stakes global competition where leadership will be determined by access to compute, data, and energy at scale.

The investor connected the outcome of this race to broader geopolitical risk, stating that a decisive lead by China in superintelligence could place the US at a structural disadvantage. "Our country and democracy will be at risk," he warned. His comments come amid growing debate in Washington and Silicon Valley over balancing AI innovation with safety, regulation, and energy constraints. While US hyperscalers continue to invest heavily, permitting delays, environmental concerns, and grid limitations have emerged as potential bottlenecks.

China has integrated AI development into its long-term economic and military planning, utilizing a centralized approach that may allow for faster coordination of resources. Ackman’s remarks reflect a broader concern among investors and policymakers that AI is becoming a defining axis of geopolitical competition. He suggested that infrastructure decisions being made today could ultimately shape the global balance of power in the decades ahead.

BILL has appointed Jonathan Leaf as its new Chief Revenue Officer to accelerate its AI-native transformation and expand its global reach. Leaf, a veteran with over 25 years of experience, will join the company on July 6th to lead a unified revenue organization encompassing sales, marketing, embedded partnerships, and customer experience. He will report directly to René Lacerte, CEO and Founder of BILL, and join the executive leadership team.

The appointment comes as BILL seeks to scale its operations across a broad distribution ecosystem. The company serves nearly half a million businesses and over 9,500 accounting firms, with a member network exceeding 8 million. Lacerte emphasized that Leaf's expertise in scaling revenue organizations for SMBs and driving integrated platform sales will be crucial in reaching the "Fortune 5 million" businesses requiring intelligent finance technology.

Leaf brings a track record of scaling high-performing organizations from his previous roles. Most recently, he served as Chief Revenue Officer at BambooHR, where he led global go-to-market strategy. His tenure at RingCentral included leading organizations responsible for more than $2 billion in annual recurring revenue. He also scaled the Central U.S. Commercial business at Amazon Web Services and spent nearly two decades in executive roles at Softchoice.

Leaf succeeds Sarah Acton, who served as Chief Customer Officer on BILL's executive leadership team for nearly five years. Acton, who made significant contributions to the company's go-to-market strategy and brand, will move to an advisory role to support the leadership transition.

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