On Monday evening, during a NBC News segment, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, expressed concern about the events of the past days, particularly the violence of border agents in Minneapolis.
Amodei highlighted the importance of protecting democracy at home: both during the NBC broadcast, and in a post on X, where he directly warned about what is happening, noting “the horror we are seeing in Minnesota.”
It was also noted that Anthropic does not have contracts with ICE.
“What is happening with ICE has gone too far.”
– Sam Altman
“Part of loving the country is the American obligation to stand up to abuses of power.” “There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to distinguish them correctly.”
– Sam Altman
Technical workers at both companies urged their leaders to address the White House with a demand to remove ICE from American cities amid a new wave of border-agent violence. In the open letter they also urged cancelling all contracts with ICE and publicly speaking out against ICE violence.
The ICEout.tech initiative with calls continues to gain support – organizers, whose identities remain unknown, told TechCrunch:
“We are glad to hear the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic condemn ICE killings.” “Now we need to hear from the CEOs of Apple, Google, Microsoft and Meta.”
– ICEout.tech organizers
A Comparison of Positions on Trump
While Amodei and Altman remain critical of specific actions, both from time to time express some support for President Trump. Amodei noted support for the idea of giving Minnesota the right to an independent investigation after reporting about those killed – although the investigation itself isn’t finished yet, many Republicans have already voiced such proposals.
In an internal memo to staff, Altman stressed that he is inspired by Trump’s reaction: “you expect from a leader who is very strong to rise to this moment and unite the country.”
The core of Altman’s position is that OpenAI intends to “do the right thing as best as possible” by engaging leaders and standing up for its values, while speaking clearly when needed. He has not publicly voiced opposition to the administration’s immigration policy or border-agent actions in U.S. cities yet.
According to J. J. Colau, founder of PR firm Haymaker Group and one of the signatories of the ICEout.tech letter, Altman “is trying to play on both sides” – he called Trump a strong leader, but noted that excessive deference undermines the weight of his words.
Over the past year, AI policy shaped by the administration and government has affected the operations of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. OpenAI is seeking new financial opportunities, while Anthropic is considering additional steps to attract investment – each company charting its own path in the regulatory landscape and AI ethics.
Despite the positions taken, a path to consensus among different players lies ahead. TechCrunch reached out to Anthropic and OpenAI for comments, and the briefing materials were supplemented with explanations from industry sources.
“What is happening with ICE has gone too far.”
– Sam Altman
“Part of loving the country is the American obligation to stand up to abuses of power.” “There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to distinguish them correctly.”
– Sam Altman
“We are glad to hear that the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic condemn ICE killings.” “Now we need to hear from the CEOs of Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta.”
– ICEout.tech organizers
“I have been encouraged by Trump’s more recent responses, and I hope the President, a ‘very strong leader,’ will rise to this moment and unite the country.”
– Sam Altman
“OpenAI will seek to understand how to truly do the right thing, where possible – to engage leaders, defend our values, and speak about it clearly when needed.”
– Sam Altman
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
– Edmund Burke
“This would be a good time for all of us – even Republicans, including politicians who previously supported Trump – to start speaking openly.”
– J. J. Colau
“Having called the decision ‘crazy’ at the World Economic Forum and comparing it to ‘selling nuclear weapons to North Korea’ and that ‘Boeing made the fuselages’.”
– Dario Amodei
In sum, these remarks underscore AI leaders’ attention to the role of policy and accountability in shaping the future of technology and social processes. Together with criticism they emphasize the need for dialogue among industry, government, and the public to balance innovation with citizens’ rights.
