Open AI's Sam Altman Claims Muslim Peers Fear Speaking Up

Open AI's Sam Altman Claims Muslim Peers Fear Speaking Up
Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Open AI CEO Sam Altman said on Thursday that Muslim and Arab peers in the tech industry don't feel comfortable speaking about their "recent experiences" due to "fear of retaliation."

  • In an X (formerly Twitter) post, apparently referencing the war in Gaza, Altman called on the tech community to stand united in support of "Muslim and Arab (especially Palestinian) colleagues," calling on everyone to "treat each other with empathy.”


The Spin

Narrative A

The titans of tech are learning — the same as many people across the globe — about the long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and to empathize with both sides rather than rooting one way or the other. In the past, people in the tech world might not have felt comfortable speaking up, but the industry is becoming more open to diverse opinions.

Narrative B

Sam Altman deserves credit for speaking up about the plight of Palestinians, Muslims, and Arabs since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. He's one of the few tech giants to show some courage on that front. It will take more than words, though, to make tech a safe space — starting with OpenAI and other companies making their products less biased.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance at least 116K US Jews will move to Israel by 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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