Altman and Amodei share a moment of awkwardness at India's big AI summit | TechCrunch

TechCrunch

by Ivan Mehta

February 19, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

A moment of tension unfolded at India’s AI Impact Summit when Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on all speakers to join hands in a symbolic gesture of unity. While most executives complied, Sam Altman (OpenAI) and Dario Amodei (Anthropic), two leading figures in the AI field, conspicuously kept their hands apart. This awkward moment highlighted the intense rivalry between the two companies, which has escalated in recent months over issues like advertising strategies and marketing claims. The competition between OpenAI and Anthropic is heating up, with both companies making significant moves in India. OpenAI announced plans to open two new offices in collaboration with IT giant TCS, focusing on higher education tools. Meanwhile, Anthropic expanded its presence by teaming up with Infosys for AI deployment. These announcements underscore the growing importance of India as a tech hub and market for global AI leaders. The summit also saw a wave of AI-related investments and product launches, reflecting India’s rising influence in the global tech landscape. As Modi emphasized during his speech, the event aimed to foster collaboration and innovation. However, the conspicuous hesitation from Altman and

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Originally published on TechCrunch on 2/19/2026