From a tense corporate split to a viral photo: A timeline of Anthropic and OpenAI's budding rivalry
Business Insider
February 20, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
The rivalry between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has become a defining story in the AI industry, symbolized by their refusal to join hands during a high-profile summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This viral moment encapsulated years of growing tensions between the two leaders, once close colleagues who helped launch OpenAI but now at the helm of competing AI companies.
The feud traces back to 2015 when Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei collaborated on founding OpenAI, aiming to create a competitive force against Google's dominance in AI. Initially, Amodei hesitated to join but later became a key player, rising through the ranks to become Research Director and Vice President of Research at OpenAI. However, their relationship began to fray as Amodei's influence grew, leading to conflicts over safety protocols and management decisions.
By 2020, tensions reached a breaking point. Amodei left OpenAI to co-found Anthropic in early 2021, with a mission to develop AI that prioritizes human values. This marked the beginning of their head-to-head competition, as Anthropic's Claude chatbot emerged to challenge OpenAI's GPT-3 and ChatGPT. The rivalry intensified through public remarks, marketing campaigns, and subtle jabs at each other's approaches to AI development.
This clash matters because it reflects broader tensions in the tech industry: the balance between innovation and safety, competition for market dominance, and differing visions for AI's future. Both companies are pivotal players in shaping the next generation of AI tools, with OpenAI leading the charge on consumer-facing products while Anthropic focuses on ethical considerations.
Ultimately, the Altman-Amodei rivalry is more than a personal feud—it's a microcosm of the larger AI revolution's challenges and opportunities. As these two companies push forward, their competitive dynamics will continue to influence the trajectory of artificial intelligence, making this rivalry one of the most watched stories in tech today.
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Originally published on Business Insider on 2/20/2026