OpenAI’s Altman says he was wrong to call antisemitism overblown

Sam Altman, the Jewish tech entrepreneur behind artificial intelligence juggernaut OpenAI, says he was “totally wrong” to downplay the existence of American anti-semitism.

“for a long time i said that antisemitism, particularly on the american left, was not as bad as people claimed. i’d like to just state that i was totally wrong,” he writes in a post on X.

for a long time i said that antisemitism, particularly on the american left, was not as bad as people claimed.

i'd like to just state that i was totally wrong.

i still don't understand it, really. or know what to do about it.

but it is so fucked.

— Sam Altman (@sama) December 8, 2023

Altman, who was named TIME magazine’s CEO of the year this week, does not elaborate on what triggered the about-face, but it comes as attention has focused on anti-Jewish rhetoric on college campuses and at demonstrations against Israel’s war against Hamas.

“i still don’t understand it, really. or know what to do about it. but it is so fucked,” he concludes.