Altman and Amodei share a moment of awkwardness at India’s big AI summit

In Brief Posted: 5:49 AM PST · February 19, 2026 Image Credits:Ludovic MARIN / AFP / Getty Images Ivan Mehta Altman and Amodei share a moment of awkwardness at India’s big AI summit What would have been a moment of united commitment to global tech innovation at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit instead proved an awkward one: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi prompted speakers at the event to join hands and raise them in a show of solidarity, all executives on stage obliged — except OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, who held their hands noticeably apart. As leaders of the two foremost labs in the AI race, it goes without saying that Altman and Amodei are fierce competitors. That rivalry has only intensified in recent months: after OpenAI said it would bring advertisements to ChatGPT, Anthropic took a swipe at OpenAI in a couple ads during the Super Bowl, declaring that it would never introduce ads into Claude. Altman soon after hit back in response, calling Anthropic “dishonest” and “authoritarian.” “We would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic depicts them. We are not stupid, and we know our users would reject that,” he wrote at the time. Both Altman and Amodei were in India this week for the AI summit held in New Delhi, which saw a bevy of AI-related investments, features and products being announced. OpenAI said it is opening two new offices in India, partnering with IT giant TCS, and is deploying tools for higher education. Anthropic has also opened an office in India and teamed up with Infosys for internal and external deployment of its AI tools. Techcrunch event TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026: Tickets Live On June 23 in Boston, more than 1,100 founders come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediatelySave up to $300 on your pass or save up to 30% with group tickets for teams of four or more. TechCrunch Founder Summit: Tickets Live On June 23 in Boston, more than 1,100 founders come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediatelySave up to $300 on your pass or save up to 30% with group tickets for teams of four or more. Boston, MA | June 23, 2026 REGISTER NOW Topics AI, Anthropic, dario amodei, India AI Impact Summit 2026, narendra modi, OpenAI, sam altman October 13-15 San Francisco, CA Tickets are live at the lowest rates of the year. Save up to $680 on your pass now.Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders, dive into 200+ sessions, and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.

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