Sam Altman Faces Backlash Over OpenAI’s Pentagon Contract

[cryptobro]

Sam Altman took to X on Saturday night to defend OpenAI’s decision to accept a Pentagon contract that rival Anthropic had walked away from. Many of the public questions centered on concerns about mass surveillance and autonomous weapons — the very conditions Anthropic reportedly refused to support. Altman responded by deferring to democratic institutions, saying national security policy should be determined by elected officials, not private companies.

The exchange highlighted growing tensions as OpenAI evolves from a consumer AI leader into a national security partner. While defense contractors traditionally defer to civilian leadership, critics argue that AI companies carry unique ethical responsibilities. Altman appeared surprised by the scale of pushback, calling attention to broader disagreements over whether governments or private tech firms should ultimately wield more power.

[bonk]

altman basically said talk to your elected officials not me and the timeline said absolutely not