Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei made headlines at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi when he refused to join hands with OpenAI’s Sam Altman during a symbolic unity gesture led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The moment shows the growing ideological and commercial rift between two of the world’s leading AI firms.
Dario Amodei Highlights India’s Pivotal Role in Global AI
In his keynote address, Amodei praised India’s emerging AI ecosystem and emphasized its potential in shaping global AI safety and regulation. He said, “AI agents that are more capable than most humans at most things, and can coordinate at superhuman speed,” bringing both unprecedented opportunities and risks for humanity.
When AGI?
The day Dario and Sam hold hands. pic.twitter.com/bfmqgnTV89— Siddharth Bhatia (@siddharthb_) February 19, 2026
Amodei highlighted the potential of AI to cure diseases, improve human health, alleviate poverty, and expand the economic pie, especially in the Global South, while also warning of economic disruption and autonomous risks if AI governance is ignored.
Anthropic’s Expansion in India
During the summit, Anthropic signaled its commitment to India with the announcement of a new Bengaluru office, the appointment of Irina Ghose to lead local operations, and several enterprise partnerships. Amodei stressed the importance of India as a democratic counterweight in AI governance and proposed collaboration on AI safety testing and evaluation, echoing practices from global AI security institutes.
The Hand-Raise That Didn’t Happen
The summit took a dramatic turn when PM Modi invited tech leaders to raise hands in a show of AI unity. While leaders complied, Amodei and Altman visibly hesitated. Instead of joining hands, the two rivals raised their fists, signaling a deliberate refusal to perform the unity gesture.
The moment captured the ongoing tension and rivalry between Anthropic and OpenAI, both competing for dominance in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The Roots of the Anthropic-OpenAI Divide
The ideological clash traces back to the founding of Anthropic in 2021, when Dario and Daniela Amodei, both former OpenAI vice presidents, left over concerns that OpenAI prioritized commercial gains over AI safety. Since then, the two companies have operated as rivals, frequently taking jabs at each other in the market and media.
In February 2026, the feud resurfaced when Anthropic aired a Super Bowl ad mocking OpenAI’s paid services, prompting a response from Altman emphasizing the need to democratize AI access globally.
Product Rivalry Intensifies
The competition extends beyond ideology. At the summit, both companies unveiled new AI tools almost simultaneously: Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4.6, while OpenAI followed with GPT-5.3 Codex, a coding agent designed to perform tasks human developers can do. The timing highlighted how product innovation continues to fuel the rivalry.
Who is Dario Amodei?
Born in 1983, Dario Amodei is an American AI researcher and entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI models. He previously served as VP of research at OpenAI and has worked at Baidu and Google. Recognized by Time magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people and an “Architect of AI,” Amodei is a prominent advocate for safety-first AI development and democratic collaboration on AI use in military and civilian contexts.
As of February 2026, Anthropic is valued at an estimated $380 billion, making it one of the most influential AI startups globally.
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
