An awkward on stage moment between Sam Altman and Dario Amodei drew widespread attention on Thursday as the two AI leaders declined to hold hands during a group photo at the India AI Impact Summit.
The pair stood alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, among other global political and technology figures.
After delivering keynote speeches, Modi lifted Altman and Pichai’s hands to applause, with others following suit. However, standing side by side, Altman and Amodei raised clenched fists instead of clasping hands.
The brief exchange quickly circulated on social media, with observers interpreting it as a reflection of intensifying competition between their companies OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, and Anthropic, creator of Claude. Both firms are vying to make their AI systems the default global choice for consumers and enterprises.
The moment comes amid heightened tensions over advertising models and business strategy. Last month, Anthropic aired Super Bowl commercials that poked fun at OpenAI’s plans to test ads for free users and ChatGPT Go subscribers in the United States. Altman described the ads as “clearly dishonest,” criticising what he called a misleading portrayal of OpenAI’s plans.
Anthropic’s Chief Customer Officer, Paul Smith, later told CNBC the company was focused on expanding its business rather than making “flashy headlines,” in what was widely seen as a veiled swipe at its rival. OpenAI and Anthropic have each raised billions of dollars as they compete for market share, enterprise adoption, and consumer loyalty.