‘I didn’t know what was happening’: Sam Altman’s reaction after hand-raising moment with PM Modi goes viral

Modi stood in the centre for the photo, with Pichai on his right and Altman on his left. Amodei, a former OpenAI leader who later launched Anthropic, was positioned next to Altman. As photographers snapped away, the Prime Minister and several executives raised their joined hands in a show of unity.

Altman and Amodei, however, appeared briefly uncertain. While others clasped hands and lifted them, the two ultimately raised their fists instead, creating a moment that quickly caught attention online.

Now, in a viral video circulating across social media, Altman’s candid explanation is drawing reactions. “I didn’t know what was happening. I was sort of confused, like Modi grabbed my hand and put it up, and I just wasn’t sure what we were supposed to be doing,” he said.

Watch the video:

“I didn’t know what was happening on stage. I was confused. He (Modi) grabbed my hand and i was wondering what we were supposed to do”

– Sam Altman 😭😭

People are literally laughing. How long will we tolerate this just for one man’s PR? pic.twitter.com/7DVdfn1PnD

— Amock_ (@Amockx2022) February 19, 2026

The clip has sparked debate among users. One commenter wrote, “It’s unfortunate for us Indians that such a large AI Summit has become a mere joke.”

Another added, “It’s surprising how some moments can overshadow real issues. The focus should be on policies and governance, not just the theatrics. It’s essential to demand accountability instead of getting caught up in the drama.”

A third user remarked, “Feels like the whole country’s caught in one long awkward handshake.”

Why didn’t Sam Altman and Dario Amodei hold hands?

The brief hesitation also reflects a longer professional split between the two AI leaders. Amodei has previously described having a “difference” in vision with Altman, and their companies, the makers of Claude and ChatGPT, have increasingly taken separate paths in the global AI race.

Altman, 40, and Amodei, 43, once worked together at OpenAI until 2019. Amodei departed the company in 2020 alongside several senior researchers amid disagreements over its strategic direction. He later co-founded Anthropic with his sister, Daniela Amodei.

Their rivalry has surfaced more than once. When OpenAI’s board briefly ousted Altman as CEO in 2023, reports indicated Amodei was considered as a potential replacement, an offer he declined. Altman returned to the top role within days.

Today, both companies rank among the world’s most prominent AI players. Bloomberg estimates cited in reports place OpenAI’s valuation near $500 billion, with Anthropic valued at roughly $380 billion.

Tensions have also spilt into public messaging. Anthropic recently ran a prominent Super Bowl advertisement cautioning against intrusive AI advertising and suggesting some chatbot makers might embed ads directly into responses. Altman responded on X, saying he “laughed” at the commercial but called it “clearly dishonest.” He added that OpenAI’s policy is not to place ads inside chatbot replies and claimed that “more Texans use ChatGPT for free than total people use Claude in the US”.