After an awkward moment on stage during a group photo, OpenAI’s Sam Altman clarified what happened alongside Dario Amodei, CEO of rival AI firm Anthropic. A brief but striking incident occurred at India’s AI Impact Summit, where several leaders joined hands for a celebratory picture, but Altman and Amodei were hesitant to join.
“I was a little confused and I didn’t know what to do,” Altman told PTI on Thursday, describing the moment the two AI leaders stood side by side but did not hold hands for a picture.
The clip quickly went viral online, fueling speculation about possible tension between the two tech entrepreneurs. However, Altman explained the context and downplayed any hint of rivalry behind the split-second decision.
What happened on stage?
After the keynote session at the summit on Tuesday morning, several of the world’s technology leaders were invited on stage to pose for photos with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Among those present were Sundar Pichai, Pratyush Kumar, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei and Alexandr Wang.
The prime minister was in the middle, Pichai to his right and Altman to his left. Amodei, who previously worked at OpenAI but eventually left to co-found Anthropic, stood alongside Altman.
As cameras flashed, the prime minister and other leaders raised their hands while Altman and Amodei looked momentarily unsure of what to do. While everyone else was holding hands as they were held high, they both ended up with their fists in the air.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Altman said when asked about the awkward moment. “I was a bit confused, like (Prime Minister) Modi grabbed my hand and lifted it, and I just wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do. I thought it was open hours.”
Is there any history of rivalry between the two managers?
Altman, 40, and Amodei, who is three years his senior, previously worked together at OpenAI until 2019. Amodei later left the company in 2020, along with his sister Daniela and several other senior researchers. The split was said to be due to disagreements with Altman and the board over the direction of the company.
The Amodei siblings went on to found Anthropic, positioning it as a rival AI company. Since the split, Altman and Amodei have often differed on their approach to artificial intelligence.
Amodei was reportedly approached by OpenAI’s board of directors after Altman was suddenly ousted on November 17, 2023. However, Anthropic’s boss declined the offer, and Altman was brought back to lead the company just days later after a dramatic battle within the company.
The competition between the two AI companies has since escalated into an outright commercial battle, with Anthropic even running satirical Super Bowl ads this year mocking OpenAI’s announced plans to introduce advertising to ChatGPT, the news agency said.