Brett McGurk, the architect of former President Joe Biden’s approach to Middle East policy regarding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks and the war in Gaza, is taking his geopolitical expertise to the private sector as a venture partner at the firm Lux Capital. 

“At a moment when maintaining America’s innovative edge requires both scientific innovation and diplomatic sophistication, few people understand the intersection of technology and operational statecraft better than Brett McGurk,” a press release announcing McGurk’s hiring stated. McGurk has held nonpartisan roles in both Democratic and Republican administrations, and he worked for both former President Barack Obama and, later, for President Donald Trump in his first term. 

Throughout Biden’s presidency, McGurk traveled between Washington, Jerusalem, Doha and other Middle Eastern capitals to try to reach a cease-fire deal, which Israel and Hamas agreed to in the final days of Biden’s presidency. He returned to Saudi Arabia this week with Lux Capital co-founder Josh Wolfe, posing for a picture with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a celebration of the country’s national day. Another photo showed him meeting with Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the national security advisor of the United Arab Emirates. 

In trading shuttle diplomacy for dealmaking, McGurk is following the path taken by Jared Kushner after the end of the first Trump administration. Soon after leaving the White House in 2021, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, an investment firm making major plays in the Middle East.