OpenAI’s Sam Altman joins other tech leaders in condemning Minneapolis shooting

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has reportedly joined a growing chorus of Silicon Valley leaders expressing outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti. Aligning with other industry leaders who argue that ICE is “going too far” with its immigration crackdown, he has become the latest corporate executive to raise concerns about heavy enforcement actions in Minnesota.

This marks the second shooting this month that federal agents have been involved in Minneapolis, sparking widespread condemnation of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions.

Altman wrote in a note shared with all employees on Monday: “What’s happening with ICE is going too far.” “There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to get the distinction right.” he added.

According to a Bloomberg report shared on Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees in an internal memo that he was also “heartbroken” by the events in Minneapolis and called for “de-escalation.”

Cook has discussed the matter with US President Donald Trump as per the released report.

In a post on X Monday, Amdodei pointed to a recently published intelligence, adding, “Given the horror we’re seeing in Minnesota, its emphasis on the importance of preserving democratic values and rights at home is particularly relevant.”

Tech executives have joined a massive assembly, alongside technology workers who have signed an open letter at ICEout.tech. Together they are condemning the violence in Minnesota and calling for industry leaders to join us in demanding ICE leave all cities.

According to Reuters, since the beginning of “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis in December, major Minnesota based giants had remained silent about the effects of the immigration enforcement efforts on the city.

OpenAI signed an open letter urging their top executives to pressure the White House to withdraw ICE from US cities. The letter also called on leadership to cancel all contracts with ICE and publicly oppose the agency’s violence. Furthermore, the letter urged all tech companies to speak out against the unrest.

“We know our industry leaders have leverage as in October they persuaded Trump to call off a planned ICE surge in San Francisco, and big tech CEOS are in the White House tonight so now they need to go further.” 

The Minneapolis shooting marks a breaking point for several tech giants, as after weeks of silence, they have finally issued a rare and direct rebuke of federal tactics.