OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has joined the growing chorus of corporate executives speaking out against ICE actions, telling employees in an internal message that 'What's happening with ICE is going too far'. According to The Times of India, Altman's comments came as a rift has emerged at Khosla Ventures, an early OpenAI backer. The ChatGPT maker's CEO emphasized the distinction between 'deporting violent criminals and what's happening now' and called for getting the distinction right. This development adds significant weight to the internal dispute within the venture capital community.
Billionaire Vinod Khosla and Managing Director of Khosla Ventures, Keith Rabois, have clashed following Rabois's support for federal immigration agencies after a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis. According to reports from The Times of India, Rabois's comments came in response to an X post by right-wing political analyst Richard Hanania, who asked, 'Who has shot more people in Minneapolis over the last few months, federal agents or illegal immigrants?' Rabois replied, 'no law enforcement has shot an innocent person. Illegals are committing violent crimes everyday.'
The company's top leadership quickly distanced itself from Rabois's views and labeled the ICE action as 'plain wrong.' As reported by The Times of India, Khosla Ventures partner Ethan Choi stated, 'I want to make it clear that Keith doesn't represent everyone's views here at @khoslaventures, at least not mine.' Choi added, 'What happened in Minnesota is plain wrong. Don't know how you could really see it differently. Sad to see a person's life taken unnecessarily.'
Khosla's founder expressed particularly strong criticism of ICE personnel, describing them as 'vigilantes running amuck empowered by a conscious-less administration.' According to The Times of India, Khosla also commented on the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti, saying, 'The video was sickening to watch and the storytelling without facts or with invented fictitious facts by authorities almost unimaginable in a civilized society.' He continued, 'ICE personnel must have ice water running thru their veins to treat other human beings this way. There is politics but humanity should transcend that.'
The internal rift has generated significant attention in the venture capital community, with the dispute highlighting the growing tensions around immigration policy and law enforcement actions in the technology sector. As reported by The Times of India, the disagreement has raised questions about the alignment of views within the firm's leadership and the potential impact on the company's investment decisions and public positioning. The controversy has also prompted broader corporate action, with more than 450 employees from firms like Google, Meta Platforms, Salesforce and OpenAI signing a letter urging their top executives to pressure the White House to withdraw ICE from U.S. cities.
