Sam Altman admits Americans hate what he’s wrought as his own data centers head quits
Fortune
Interview for a TIME cover story
“Clearly, people hate data centers—right now, at least ... People are pretty negative on AI”
Sam Altmanreported 26 August 2026- What you'll lose1/5
Your neighbourhood, a possible site.
- Condescension0/5
Plain enough.
- Tone-deafness2/5
'Clearly, people hate data centers.'
- Doom0/5
None.
- Hypocrisy0/5
None.
Full time3 pitchforksof a possible 25
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The occasion
Interview for a TIME cover story, reported 26 August 2026.
Context
Reflecting in the TIME interview on public sentiment toward AI, Altman conceded that people are hostile to data centers, while OpenAI said it plans to spend another $50 billion on compute this year.
Crowd reaction
Critical commentary
Fortune's headline says Altman 'admits Americans hate what he's wrought'; PC Gamer pairs the remark with OpenAI's plan to spend $50 billion more on compute ('putting two and two together, but coming up with a completely different answer'); Futurism says the backlash has 'officially rattled' him.
- Primary source, transcript
- Fortune: Trending now
- Futurism: Data Center Backlash Has Officially Rattled Sam Altman
- PC Gamer: OpenAI head Sam Altman says 'people hate data centers,' but the company still plans to invest $50 billion more in AI infrastructure this year alone
- Tekedia: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Acknowledges Growing Backlash Against AI And Data Centers
- Where the exact words are printed