Sam Altman Expresses The Uncomfortability Of The Muslim And Arab Community In The Technology Industry

JAKARTA - On Thursday, January 4, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that members of the Muslim and Arab communities in the tech industry were uncomfortable to talk about their current experiences, in references that appeared to be related to the impact of the ongoing war in Gaza.

"Fellow Muslim and Arab colleagues (mainly Palestinians) in the tech community that I have talked about are uncomfortable to talk about their current experiences, often for fear of retaliation and the impact of damage to their career prospects," Altman wrote on social media network X, formerly known as Twitter.

muslim and arab (especially palestinian) colleagues in the tech community i've spoken with feel uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and damaged career prospects.our industry should be united in our support of these colleagues;…

— Sam Altman (@sama) January 5, 2024

Muslim and Arabic (essentially Palestinian) colleges in the tech community i've speech with feeling uncomfortable speaking about their reported experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and damage care prospects.our industry should be united in our support of these colleges;...

The Microsoft-backed OpenAI boss urged the tech industry to treat members of the community with empathy.

A user on X asks Altman what he thinks about the experience of the Jewish community.

Altman replied: "I am Jewish. I believe that antisemitism is a significant problem and continues to grow in the world, and I see many people in our industry defending me, which I highly appreciate. I see far less support for Muslims."

Human rights observers note that antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen sharply in the United States and elsewhere since October 7 when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli data.

Israel's next attack on Gaza has killed more than 22,000 Palestinians, nearly 1% of the population of 2.3 million, according to Gaza's health ministry.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations stated last month that in the two months after the war began, incidents triggered by Islamophobia and bias against Palestine and Arabia increased by 172% in the United States compared to the same period the previous year.

The Anti-Defamation League said in December that between October 7 and December 7, antisemitism incidents in the US increased by 337%.