The AI Cold War: Why Sam Altman and Dario Amodei’s Awkward Photo Went Viral

Advertisment

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently caused a stir at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. During a group photo with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders refused to hold hands. While other tech leaders joined together, Altman and Amodei kept their distance. They both chose to raise their fists instead of linking arms.

This moment was caught on camera and went viral instantly, showing a deep split between the two most powerful companies in the world of artificial intelligence.

A History of Disagreement and Growing Rivalry

This awkward moment shows a fight that started back in 2021. Dario Amodei used to be a top executive at OpenAI, and he helped build the early versions of the technology that created ChatGPT. However, he left OpenAI to start his own company called Anthropic as he felt that OpenAI was moving too fast and not focusing enough on safety.

Advertisment

According to a report published at Mint, Amodei stated in a 2023 interview with Fortune: "You needed something in addition to just scaling the models up, which is alignment or safety. You don't tell the models what their values are just by pouring more compute into them."

The two companies now have very different goals. Anthropic uses a method called Constitutional AI to keep its models safe. OpenAI focuses on releasing new tools quickly to as many people as possible. The tension got worse in late 2023 when the OpenAI board tried to fire Sam Altman. They reportedly asked Amodei to take over as CEO of OpenAI; however, Amodei rejected the offer.

How Does This Rivalry Reshape the 2026 Enterprise Market?

The battle between these two men is now a fight for global business. Anthropic is trying to win over large companies by acting as the safer choice. In early 2026, they even ran ads that poked fun at OpenAI’s business plans. This competition is changing how businesses use AI. Many companies now feel they must pick one side or the other.

Advertisment

This AI Cold War is creating a split in the tech world. OpenAI is supported by Microsoft and is growing rapidly, while Anthropic is supported by Google and Amazon.

This rivalry means that the ‘Universal AI’ many people hoped for might take longer to arrive. Customers now have to decide if they want the newest features or safety.

Both companies are now massive businesses preparing for the stock market. This competition is actually good for the public, as it pushes OpenAI to ensure platform safety. It also makes sure that Anthropic keeps improving its technology.

Advertisment