Sam Altman's internal Slack message to employees criticises ICE, but praises President Trump

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has raised concerns about recent actions by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) saying that the agency’s approach has gone “too far” and needs clearer limits. According to a Business Insider report, Altman has condemned the recent Minnesota killing in an internal Slack message. In the memo, Sam Altman said that there is an important difference between deporting violent criminals and what is happening now. “I love the US and its values of democracy and freedom and will be supportive of the country however I can; OpenAI will too. But part of loving the country is the American duty to push back against overreach. What's happening with ICE is going too far,” Altman wrote, adding “There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what's happening now, and we need to get the distinction right.”



At the same time, he also acknowledged President Trump’s leadership, calling him a “very strong leader,” and said he hopes the president will respond to the situation in a way that helps bring people together.

OpenAI’s stance as a company

In the memo, Sam Altman also clarified how OpenAI plans to handle sensitive political and social issues. He said the company aims to stay consistent with its values and avoid reacting to shifting trends. He noted that OpenAI did not adopt extreme positions when they were popular in the past and will not make what he described as performative statements now.


“We didn't become super woke when that was popular, we didn't start talking about masculine corporate energy when that was popular, and we are not going to make a lot of performative statements now about safety or politics or anything else,” Altman wrote in the memo.


Instead, Altman said OpenAI will focus on trying to “do the right thing,” engage with leaders, push for its values, and speak up clearly when needed.

Read Sam Altman’s memo to employees

I love the US and its values of democracy and freedom and will be supportive of the country however I can; OpenAI will too. But part of loving the country is the American duty to push back against overreach. What's happening with ICE is going too far. There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what's happening now, and we need to get the distinction right.

President Trump is a very strong leader, and I hope he will rise to this moment and unite the country. I am encouraged by the last few hours of response and hope to see trust rebuilt with transparent investigations.As a company, we aim to stick to our convictions and not get blown around by changing fashions too much. We didn't become super woke when that was popular, we didn't start talking about masculine corporate energy when that was popular, and we are not going to make a lot of performative statements now about safety or politics or anything else. But we are going to continue to try to figure out how to actually do the right thing as best as we can, engage with leaders and push for our values, and speak up clearly about it as needed.