NEW YORK, NY – December 16, 2025 – In a significant move set to accelerate its mission to modernize permitting and reduce bureaucratic red tape, Labrynth, an AI-native company pioneering outcomes-based artificial intelligence, today announced the appointment of William James "Jim" Haynes II to its Board of Directors.
Haynes, a seasoned corporate executive and former General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense, brings a wealth of experience that will be pivotal as governments and industries globally seek to simplify and streamline the complex web of permits, licenses, and regulations that often hinder progress and innovation.
A Distinguished Career in Public and Private Service
Jim Haynes is no stranger to navigating intricate regulatory landscapes. As the longest-serving Pentagon General Counsel in history, he was the chief legal officer for an institution boasting over 10,000 lawyers. His career includes two Senate-confirmed appointments under two U.S. Presidents, showcasing his profound understanding of federal regulatory systems.
Beyond his public service, Haynes has held influential C-suite roles in the private sector across diverse industries including information technology, biotech, energy, and manufacturing. Currently serving as executive vice president and strategic counselor of Blacklake Group, a holding company focused on national security, his past includes a key leadership position at CSRA Inc., instrumental in its $9.7 billion sale to General Dynamics. He also held senior roles at Chevron Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, SIGA Technologies, and advised numerous early-stage technology companies.
Guiding Labrynth into a New Era of Regulation
Labrynth Founder and CEO, Stuart Lacey, emphasized the transformative nature of Haynes’s appointment. "Jim is a transformational addition to Labrynth. From the Pentagon to Fortune 500 boardrooms, he has navigated some of the most complex regulatory systems in the world. His perspective embodies exactly what Labrynth stands for: trusted, transparent intelligence that helps government and industry work together to accelerate growth. Jim’s leadership will help guide Labrynth as we scale a new regulatory infrastructure for the AI-powered economy."
Throughout his extensive public-sector career, Haynes was at the helm of one of the largest legal ecosystems within the federal government, offering counsel to Secretaries of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Robert M. Gates on critical matters ranging from policy and operations to international agreements. His dedication has been recognized with high civilian honors from multiple departments, and he holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Stetson University Law School. He also contributes to national advisory bodies such as the National Security Institute at George Mason University, further underscoring his commitment to institutional trust and public service.
Harnessing AI to Solve "One of the Most Significant Friction Points"
Jim Haynes himself articulated his enthusiasm for Labrynth’s mission: "Permitting and regulatory approvals have become one of the most significant friction points limiting innovation and infrastructure progress in America. Labrynth’s outcomes-based platform is a perfect example of cutting-edge vertical AI – focusing on delivering real value to governments and industry in a simple way that reduces delays, strengthens accountability and enables faster, smarter economic development. I am proud to join a company that is reimagining regulatory systems not by cutting corners, but by elevating clarity, efficiency and trust."
Haynes joins Labrynth at a pivotal time as the company accelerates its deployments nationwide. Labrynth’s impactful initiatives include the rapidly growing Red Tape Index, which benchmarks city and state permitting performance, and its successful municipal partnership in Lancaster, California. In Lancaster, Labrynth’s AI-powered permitting assistant is already streamlining development workflows and dramatically reducing turnaround times for core regulatory functions. His appointment reaffirms Labrynth’s dedication to building trusted, AI-enabled regulatory systems that can unlock significant economic opportunities both domestically and internationally.
About Labrynth
Labrynth stands as the first transparent AI company specifically designed to address regulatory bottlenecks at scale. Its outcome-based models are engineered to compress permitting timelines, mitigate compliance risks, and expedite revenue generation for PROPEL industries and local governments. As a spin-off from AI and agentic innovation powerhouse Invisible Technologies, and backed by the AI HoldCo platform Infinity Constellation, Labrynth uniquely combines cutting-edge AI with human expertise to forge a smarter, faster, and fairer regulatory future. Discover more at www.labrynth.ai.
Source: Original Article
