Titles Don’t Govern the White House

Former OSTP AI advisor Dean Ball says formal rank mattered far less than access to budget, staff, and process chokepoints. OSTP, with no formal authority, had to build influence by coordinating the interagency while the NSC, with hard power and headcount, set the pace. The upshot: practical control of processes and resources beats org‑chart status. — This clarifies where power really sits in the executive branch, guiding journalists, watchdogs, and reformers toward the levers that shape policy.