The rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic—two of the most powerful forces in artificial intelligence—has long simmered behind the scenes in Silicon Valley. But on February 19, 2026, at the high-profile **India AI Impact Summit** in New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam, that tension burst into plain view during a simple group photo with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The summit brought together global tech heavyweights, including Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, and others, to discuss AI’s transformative potential for India and the world. Prime Minister Modi, center stage, encouraged a symbolic show of unity: raising hands high while joining them with those beside him.
As cameras flashed, Modi grabbed hands with leaders on either side—including lifting Sam Altman’s arm enthusiastically. Most executives followed suit, linking arms in a chain of raised hands. But standing side by side were **Sam Altman** (CEO of OpenAI) and **Dario Amodei** (CEO of Anthropic). The two hesitated visibly, then opted for raised fists instead of clasping hands—breaking the chain and creating an instantly viral awkward moment.
Social media lit up with reactions: memes calling it an “AI cold war” on stage, jokes about Modi failing to broker peace between rivals, and speculation that old grudges ran too deep for even a ceremonial gesture.
The backstory adds real fuel to the fire. Dario Amodei and his sister Daniela once held senior roles at OpenAI under Sam Altman’s leadership. They grew increasingly concerned that the company was prioritizing rapid commercialization and profits over safety and responsible development. In their view, safety concerns were being sidelined.
In 2021, Dario left to co-found Anthropic, a rival focused explicitly on building safe, interpretable, and steerable AI systems—often positioning itself as the more cautious counterpoint to OpenAI’s bolder approach. The split wasn’t amicable; it marked the start of fierce competition in the generative AI race, complete with talent poaching, differing philosophies on AI risk, and even public barbs (including Anthropic’s high-profile attack ads during events like the Super Bowl).
Altman later addressed the photo moment lightheartedly, telling reporters he was “sort of confused” and unsure what to do when Modi grabbed his hand and raised it. “I didn’t know what was happening… I just wasn’t sure what we were supposed to be doing,” he said, downplaying any deeper intent.
Yet the optics were unmistakable: even in a room full of collaboration talk—with India positioning itself as a major AI player—the two most watched CEOs in the field couldn’t (or wouldn’t) bridge the gap for a single photo.
The incident highlights the high-stakes divide in AI leadership today: speed and scale versus caution and alignment. As OpenAI pushes frontiers with models like those powering ChatGPT, Anthropic emphasizes constitutional AI and long-term safety. Their rivalry isn’t just personal—it’s philosophical, shaping how the world approaches one of the most powerful technologies ever created.
For now, the fist-raise moment serves as a reminder: in the race to build the future of AI, some hands simply aren’t ready to join.
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