The role exists because if you and I both know AI is heading towards being a commodity (thanks China!) then openai absolutely knows it too, and they're planning HARD to avoid this existential threat.
Alternatively, the tech never commoditizes because of the scale of power dynamics at play, and we’re stuck with a few increasingly more wealthy and powerful corporations.
It is interesting that a role like "Head of Strategic Futures" both exists and attracts insane people.