Drama at the Vanity Fair Oscar party: Playwright calls Sam Altman a “fascist” in front of stars

A high-profile confrontation erupted at the Vanity Fair Oscar after-party when acclaimed playwright Jeremy O. Harris publicly accused Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, of collaborating with the military, calling him a “Nazi.” The shocking incident unfolded in front of Hollywood stars including Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, and witnessed by Zoe Saldaña and Colman Domingo.

According to Page Six, Harris approached Altman to criticize OpenAI’s recent contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, drawing a comparison between the ChatGPT executive and Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. Later, Harris clarified in a statement that he had “overdone it with the martinis” and misspoke, meaning instead Friedrich Flick, a German industrialist who collaborated with the Nazis and was convicted at the Nuremberg Trials for war crimes.

Eyewitnesses reported that Altman remained calm and composed throughout the confrontation, showing no visible reaction.

The OpenAI-DoD contract, signed in February, has sparked criticism both inside and outside the company. Many employees and observers expressed concern that AI technology could be used for citizen surveillance. OpenAI has stated that built-in “safeguards” are in place to prevent such misuse.