OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says Palestinians in tech fear retaliation for speaking out

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Thursday called on the tech industry to support Palestinian colleagues who fear retaliation for speaking about their recent experiences amid war in Gaza.

“Muslim and arab (especially palestinian) colleagues in the tech community i’ve spoken with feel uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and damaged career prospects,” Altman wrote on X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter. 

Altman, whose Microsoft-backed company created ChatGPT, urged tech leaders to be inclusive of pro-Palestinian colleagues and expressed his hope for peace in the Israel-Hamas conflict. 

“Our industry should be united in our support of these colleagues; it is an atrocious time,” he wrote. “I continue to hope for a real and lasting peace, and that in the meantime we can treat each other with empathy.” 

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A user on X asked Altman in a reply if he felt the same way about Jewish colleagues. 

Altman replied, “i am jewish. i believe that antisemitism is a significant and growing problem in the world, and i see a lot of people in our industry sticking up for me, which i deeply appreciate.” 

“I see much less of that for muslims,” he added. 

Altman’s comments come after OpenAI’s Research Platform head Tal Broda issued an apology last month and deleted several X posts in which he expressed support for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. 

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“More! No mercy! @IDF don’t stop!” Broda wrote in one post. 

On Dec. 17, Broda acknowledged that his posts “caused discomfort and hurt” and apologized. 

“I was shocked and very sad after the horrific massacre by Hamas on October 7th in Israel, and personally know a lot of people who were impacted by it. My intention was to voice my opposition to Hamas, and never towards the civilians in Gaza, who I know are suffering at this time,” Broda wrote. 

“Reflecting on the words I chose, I realize that they don’t represent my intentions of my values. This has been a learning experience for me, and I intend to ensure that going forward my actions and words reflect my principles.” 

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Advocacy groups have noted a sharp rise in both antisemitism and Islamophobia in the U.S. and elsewhere since Oct. 7, when Islamic terrorists in the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 22,000 Palestinians, nearly 1% of its 2.3 million population, according to the Hamas-led Gaza health ministry. However, Hamas officials do not distinguish between civilian and military casualties, and the numbers reported by the Gaza health ministry cannot be independently verified.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said last month that in the two months after the war began, incidents motivated by Islamophobia and bias against Palestinians and Arabs rose by 172% in the United States compared to the same period last year.

The Anti-Defamation League said in December that between Oct. 7 and Dec. 7, U.S. antisemitic incidents rose by 337%.

Reuters contributed to this report.