People aren’t exactly thrilled at billionaire tech bro Sam Altman telling them to accept ‘bad things’ for the sake of AI – 21 blunt clapbacks
Sam Altman has been speaking to Politico for their technology briefing feature, Decoded. Tech reporter Brendan Bordelon asked the OpenAI CEO to explain what makes his company different from their rival Anthropic, and this was his response.
“We believe the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology.”
In a conversation for the first edition of Decoded, a new daily newsletter and podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman talked with POLITICO’s @BrendanBordelon about trade-offs, AI safety, and how his company is different from Anthropic.
Subscribe to Decoded for the full conversation with Sam Altman: https://t.co/YHJJsDOQVh
— POLITICO (@politico) October 4, 2026
“Bad things”, eh, Sam? Such as?
Oh no.
Nobel Prize-winning MIT economist Daron Acemoglu fears unemployment could triple over the next decade if nothing is done and we stay on our current course. https://t.co/4sahxyfsxj https://t.co/BS2H5kjWgu
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 5, 2026
Oh no!
AI data center project secretly sucked 29 million gallons of water over 15 months before detected by residents complaining about low water pressure — officials refuse to fine massive 6.2 million-square-foot facility over unauthorized water consumption https://t.co/ATthrMzdiT
— Tom’s Hardware (@tomshardware) May 10, 2026
OH NO!!
AI industry insiders warn the technology could wipe out humanity within the decade. NYU professor and podcast host Scott Galloway says evil AI isn’t the problem, it’s the lack of regulation. "This is a failure of governance and leadership," he warns. https://t.co/jgNLL5r4OV
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) September 11, 2026
Understandably, people weren’t on board with Altman’s suggestion, which amounted to “Suck it up, losers. I need another mansion.”
This is what they had to say about it.