&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Didn't know what was happening': Here’s what Sam Altman said on his awkward exchange with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei")
A brief onstage moment between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei drew attention during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
During a group photograph with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other global technology leaders, several attendees were seen holding hands and raising them for the cameras. However, social media users quickly noticed that Altman and Amodei did not hold hands. Instead, both raised their fists separately, maintaining distance between them.
The moment soon went viral, with many online speculating about tensions between the two AI leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood at the centre of the photograph. Google CEO Sundar Pichai stood on his right, while Altman stood on his left. Amodei was positioned next to Altman.
Sam Altman Responds: ‘I Was Confused’
Hours after the image spread online, Sam Altman said about the incident during a closed-door interaction with few reporters.
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“I was sort of confused and didn’t know what I was supposed to do,” Altman said. He explained that Prime Minister Modi had taken his hand and raised it, but he was unsure about the intended gesture for the photograph.
Altman added, “Modi grabbed my hand and put it up, and I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to be doing.”
As of now there was no comment from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on the incident.
OpenAI and Anthropic Rivalry
Sam Altman, 40, and Dario Amodei, 43, previously worked together at OpenAI until 2019. According to earlier reports, Amodei left OpenAI in 2020 along with several senior researchers following disagreements over the company’s direction. He later co-founded Anthropic with his sister Daniela Amodei.
In 2023, when OpenAI’s board temporarily removed Altman as CEO, reports suggested that Amodei was approached as a possible replacement. He declined the offer. Altman was reinstated as CEO within days.
Today, OpenAI and Anthropic are among the leading artificial intelligence firms globally. According to Bloomberg estimates cited in reports, OpenAI is valued at around $500 billion, while Anthropic is valued at approximately $380 billion.
The rivalry has also played out publicly. Anthropic recently aired a high-profile Super Bowl advertisement that criticised the idea of intrusive AI advertising. The ad suggested that some AI companies might insert advertisements directly into chatbot responses.
In response, Altman posted on X that he “laughed” at the ad but described it as “clearly dishonest.” He said OpenAI’s principle was not to insert ads directly into chatbot responses. He also claimed that “more Texans use ChatGPT for free than total people use Claude in the US.”
India AI Impact Summit them brought together
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 brought together global AI leaders, policymakers and industry executives to discuss artificial intelligence governance, infrastructure and innovation. With OpenAI and Anthropic both expanding globally, including in India, public appearances of their CEOs attract close attention.
While the viral moment sparked speculation online, Altman’s clarification suggests there was no deliberate snub, but rather uncertainty during a coordinated stage gesture.
