Sam Altman told staff ICE 'is going too far' in private Slack message

Businessinsider reports that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman privately criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an internal Slack message, writing, "What's happening with ICE is going too far." Altman told employees, "I love the US and its values of democracy and freedom" and said part of loving the country is the duty to "push back against overreach." He also praised President Trump as "a very strong leader," wrote that he hopes the president will "rise to this moment and unite the country," and said he is "encouraged by the last few hours of response and hope to see trust rebuilt with transparent investigations." Employees reacted on Slack with heart and thank-you emojis, and the message was first reported by The New York Times' Dealbook newsletter.

The message came as CEOs and other tech leaders faced internal and external pressure after the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday; Pretti is the second person to be fatally shot by federal law enforcement amid a surge in immigration enforcement in and around Minneapolis. A correction published with the report said Pretti was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent, not an ICE agent.

On Monday the White House appeared to recalibrate its response, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to associate Trump with initial statements by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Stephen Miller.