The ongoing Gaza war, which has been going on for nearly three months, reported to have significant impacts on the technology sector.
In a reference to the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said he believes members of the Muslim and Arab communities working in the technology sector do not feel comfortable speaking about their experiences.
“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,” Altman wrote on X on Friday, January 5.
He urged the technology sector to treat the Arab and Muslim communities with sensitivity and understanding.
Altman added, “Our industry should be united in our support of these colleagues; it is an atrocious time. i continue to hope for a real and lasting peace, and that in the meantime we can treat each other with empathy.”
In response to the post, a user asked Altman how he felt about the experiences of the Jewish community.
Altman replied, “I am Jewish.” I believe that anti-Semitism is a big and growing problem in the world, and I see a lot of people in our sector supporting me, which I greatly appreciate. I see much less of it towards Muslims.”
On October 7, Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to the Israeli authorities, and holding, along with other Palestinian factions, about 240 hostages.
Since then, Israel has carried out a devastating bombardment on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 22,400 people and 57,614 injured, according to figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health.
