I don’t have any inside info, and perhaps “pressure” is too strong, but Holden reported recieving advice in that direction in 2016:
“Paul Christiano and Carl Shulman–a couple of individuals I place great trust in (on this topic)–have argued to me that Open Phil’s grant to MIRI should have been larger. (Note that these individuals have some connections to MIRI and are not wholly impartial.) Some other people I significantly trust on this topic are very non-enthusiastic about MIRI’s work, but having a couple of people making the argument in favor carries substantial weight with me from a “let many flowers bloom”/”cover your bases” perspective. (However, I expect that the non-enthusiastic people will be less publicly vocal, which I think is worth keeping in mind in this context.)”
I don’t have any inside info, and perhaps “pressure” is too strong, but Holden reported recieving advice in that direction in 2016: