Altimeter Capital’s Brad Gerstner criticizes AI negativity as political agenda

Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital, went on CNBC on September 11 and called the latest wave of AI doom warnings “hyperbolic scare tactics” motivated by a political agenda rather than legitimate safety science. His pushback came directly after a high-profile resignation at Anthropic reignited fears about superintelligence risk, and it arrived alongside a decidedly un-fearful portfolio move: nearly $590 million in fresh semiconductor positions. What triggered the rant The catalyst was Jacob Coxon, a researcher at Anthropic, who resigned and publicly stated that there is a significant risk of human extinction from advances in superintelligence. Coxon went further, claiming that many staff inside AI labs believe there is over a 10% chance of such an outcome within the next decade. Gerstner’s response was blunt. He argued that AI developers are prioritizing safety more seriously than ever and that framing the technology as an existential threat serves a specific political purpose. He went so far as to suggest that some of the negative narratives around AI could be linked to foreign interests, specifically the Chinese Communist Party, aimed at slowing US innovation. Gerstner positio...