OpenAI's Sam Altman tells employees 'ICE is going too far' after Minnesota killings

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees in an internal message that ICE is “going too far” with its immigration crackdown

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees in an internal message that ICE is “going too far” with its immigration crackdown, becoming ‍the latest corporate executive to voice concerns about heavy enforcement actions in Minnesota.

Federal ​agents shot and killed a protester in Minneapolis over ‌the weekend, the second such shooting this month, sparking widespread ​disapproval of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions. More than 60 CEOs have signed a statement calling for de-escalation after weeks of silence.

“What’s happening with ICE is going too far,” Altman wrote in a Slack message to employees of the ChatGPT maker, a source familiar with the matter said. “There is a big difference between deporting violent ​criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to get ⁠the distinction right.”

“I love the U.S. and its values of democracy and freedom and will be supportive of the country however I can; OpenAI will too,” Altman said ​in his message, which was ⁠first reported by the New York Times’ DealBook. “But part of loving the country is the American duty to push back against overreach.”

Altman’s comments come as a rift has emerged at Khosla Ventures, an ‌early OpenAI backer. Founder Vinod Khosla and partner Ethan Choi ‌disavowed comments from partner Keith Rabois over the weekend that law enforcement had not shot an innocent person and ‍that illegal immigrants commit crimes on a daily basis.

A number of businesses have been hesitant to criticise U.S. President Donald Trump during his second ‍term.