All-hands: Sam Altman defends OpenAI's US DOD deal, calls the backlash “painful”, and says OpenAI is looking at a deal to deploy on all NATO classified networks
Startup's deal to do classified work with Defense Department drew backlash from staff and other AI researchers
Wall Street Journal
Related Coverage
- OpenAI amends Pentagon deal as Sam Altman admits it looks ‘sloppy’ The Guardian
- Altman Reportedly Tells Staff OpenAI Wants Another Classified Contract. This Time with NATO Gizmodo · Mike Pearl
- OpenAI's Sam Altman fends off ‘painful’ backlash to Pentagon AI deal — including chalk-wielding activists New York Post · Thomas Barrabi
- OpenAI Considering Contract for NATO Unclassified Networks The Information · Erin Woo
- OpenAI goes on defense as Anthropic surges after Pentagon fallout The Hill · Miranda Nazzaro
- Sam Altman Reportedly Bemoans ‘Really Painful’ Backlash To OpenAI's Pentagon Deal Forbes · Sofia Chierchio
- Sam Altman says OpenAI amended its DOD contract to ensure “the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of US persons and nationals” Financial Times · George Hammond
- OpenAI and the DOD agree to add more surveillance protections to their AI deal; sources say Sam Altman approached the DOD's Emil Michael to rework the contract Axios · Maria Curi
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Defends Pentagon Work to Staff Hacker News
- Sam Altman tells staff OpenAI has no say over Pentagon decisions The Economic Times
- Sam Altman Caught in Fallout From Dario Amodei's Pentagon Standoff Observer · Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly
- OpenAI says it's amending its DoD contract. We remain concerned. LASST
- Sam Altman says the DOD affirmed that OpenAI's tools wouldn't be used by agencies like the NSA, and services to them would need a further contract modification CNBC · Dylan Butts
- Altman: OpenAI Pentagon Deal Looked ‘Opportunistic, Sloppy’ Newser · Rob Quinn
- Sam Altman is stuck playing defense. It all started a week ago. Business Insider · Brent D. Griffiths
- Sam Altman Admits He's Made a Huge Mistake Futurism · Victor Tangermann
- An “inconsequential” sum of money, but the PR cost is much, much higher - OpenAI's Sam Altman continues his ‘mea culpa’ tour...up to a point diginomica · Stuart Lauchlan
- ‘Fire Sam Altman’: Pressure on OpenAI CEO grows following Pentagon deal SFGATE · Stephen Council
- ChatGPT's Pentagon deal just changed — here's what it means for everyday users Tom's Guide · Amanda Caswell
- All-hands: Sam Altman says OpenAI does not “get to make operational decisions” regarding how the US DOD uses its tech, and the Pentagon respects its expertise CNBC · Ashley Capoot
- Sam Altman says rushing the DOD deal on Friday “looked opportunistic and sloppy” but OpenAI was “trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome” Business Insider · Katherine Li
Discussion
-
@scaling01
@scaling01
on x
good, it should be painful now distract us with GPT-5.4 [image]
-
@provisionalidea
James Rosen-Birch
on x
imagine swooping in to steal a competitor's contract when they're taking a moral stand and being threatened by the gov't, completely fumbling the PR and having it blow up in your face, and then having the gall to try to position it as a moral, principled choice
-
@berber_jin1
Berber Jin
on x
altman also said in the all hands that OAI was looking at a contract to deploy on “all nato classified networks” more in our second take here: https://www.wsj.com/...
-
@signulll
@signulll
on x
i didn't want to talk about this topic again but damn what a colossal miscalculation from openai all around. the problem was never working or not working with the government. you should absolutely work with the government. the underlying problem came to be because they tried t…
-
@markvalorian
Mark Valorian
on x
And there it is. It seems @OpenAI's DoD contract was not so “inconsequential” after all... Within 3 days they're touting this as a gateway to all NATO classified networks. They essentially sold out the American people for the prospect of foreign money. And lied directly to our [i…
-
@sama
Sam Altman
on x
Sam Altman says that “the democratic process must stay in control, and we must democratize AI” and that no private company should decide the fate of the world
-
@metacurity.com
Cynthia Brumfield
on bluesky
Oh no! Sam Altman says he experienced some pain in moving in for the kill on Anthropic's deal with the Pentagon so quickly. [embedded post]
-
@scriban
@scriban
on bluesky
Ah, yes. The very serious “brand consequences.” [embedded post]
-
@langdongrant
Langdon Grant
on bluesky
LMFAO, never seen someone go completely washed so quickly. 🤣🤣🤣 — “OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Monday that the company 'shouldn't have rushed' its recent deal with the U.S. Department of Defense and outlined revisions to the agreement.” — www.cnbc.com/2026/03/03/o... …
-
@wittywebhandle
Blaise Ulysse Bernard Collins
on bluesky
How many times can your $800B company say “Oopsie Doodle, we really muffed that one, huh?” before any investors begin to question the value proposition of AT THE VERY LEAST Sam Altman as a figure.
-
@valhalla_dev
@valhalla_dev
on x
How exactly does Sam Altman dig deeper into the PR nightmare every time he hits the timeline? Between this and the joke of an “AMA” the other night, he'd probably best be served either keeping quiet for a couple months or going full Palmer Luckey
-
@scaling01
@scaling01
on x
“Lisan you are so biased, always trash talking OpenAI and Sam. you're just a hater.” no, I'm actually seeing Sam and OpenAI for who they are. I have been right about them AGAIN just remind yourself of this in 6 months, when they are in the news again for some shady shit
-
@sean_from_earth
Sean
on x
I get the logic here but telling your highly competent staff “yes, we're building the machine god and we're going to let pete fucking hegseth decide how to use it” is about the worst messaging possible.
-
@timzero4
Tim Edwards
on bluesky
www.cnbc.com/2026/03/03/s... CEO Sam Altman said his company doesn't get to choose how the military uses its technology.
-
@carnage4life
Dare Obasanjo
on bluesky
It's almost comical how transparent OpenAI is being about the play being to let the government use ChatGPT to spy on Americans and kill people then claim the government broke its promise when it happens. [image]
-
r/technology
r
on reddit
Sam Altman tells OpenAI staffers that military's ‘operational decisions’ are up to the government
-
r/politics
r
on reddit
Sam Altman tells OpenAI staffers that military's ‘operational decisions’ are up to the government
-
@jeffjarvis@mastodon.social
Jeff Jarvis
on mastodon
Cry me a river, Sam: — “To try so hard to do the right thing and get so absolutely like, personally crushed for it...is really painful.” He calls it “a complex but the right decision with extremely difficult brand consequences.” — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Defends Pentagon Work …