2026-02-19T09:05:09.558Z
Sam Altman and Dario Amodei’s awkward moment at the India AI Summit has gone viral. The two AI leaders and former colleagues raised their arms, but did not shake hands. Technology leaders including Sundar Pichai joined Narendra Modi on stage in New Delhi.
This week, the world’s biggest AI leaders gathered in New Delhi, ready to talk about their latest models and their impact on society. They didn’t seem quite ready for the 14-person handshake that will be remembered for a long time by those in the tech industry.
On Thursday, top executives including Demis Hassabis, Sundar Pichai, Brad Smith, Sam Altman and Dario Amodei joined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on stage at the India AI Impact Summit.
In his unique style, Mr. Modi held hands with Mr. Pichai on his right and Mr. Altman on his left, raised their folded arms, and began taking photos. Prime Minister Modi has previously taken photos in this manner with world leaders, including former US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Other tech executives quickly understood PM Modi’s instructions, checking both sides before shaking the hand of the person next to them.
The most meme-worthy scene from this photo shoot was that the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic didn’t manage or refused to hold each other’s hands. After a pause, they raised their arms without making contact.
The moment was widely screenshotted and shared on social media.
The awkward moment comes after both AI giants traded jabs in a Super Bowl ad earlier this month. Anthropic’s 30-second commercial criticized OpenAI over its decision to introduce advertising to ChatGPT.
After Anthropic released a series of Super Bowl ad teasers, Altman responded with a lengthy post about X, calling Anthropic’s ads “disingenuous.”
Amodei co-founded Anthropic in 2021 after leaving OpenAI, citing disagreements over AI safety priorities and the lab’s leadership style.
