OpenAI CEO Sam Altman clarifies to Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani, says comments taken out of context

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has clarified that his comments on competing with the company at the ET Conversations event had been taken out of context. While replying to a question from Peak XV Partners managing director Rajan Anandan he had said at the event that it was “totally hopeless to compete with us (OpenAI) on training foundation models,” citing a hypothetical scenario in which three engineers with $10 million try to emulate the achievement.

To this Tech Mahindra MD and CEO CP Gurnani tweeted: “Dear @sama, from one CEO to another… challenge accepted,” citing the OpenAI CEO’s comment. “OpenAI founder Sam Altman said it’s pretty hopeless for Indian companies to try and compete with them,” Gurnani’s tweet read.

Replying to Gurnani’s tweet, Altman said, “This is really taken out of context! The question was about competing with us with $10 million, which I really do think is not going to work. But I still said try! However, I think it’s the wrong question.”