Portrait of Sam Altman
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Sam Altman on India

AI market enthusiast (strong)

TL;DR

Sam Altman views India as a critically important, rapidly growing market for OpenAI's AI technology and developer community.

Key Points

  • He stated that India is OpenAI's second-largest market globally and is growing incredibly fast as of February 2026.

  • Altman highlighted a fourfold increase in weekly users for OpenAI's Codex tool in the two weeks leading up to February 2026.

  • During an appearance at IIT Delhi, he advised young people that traditional career advice may not work well in the new AI era.

Summary

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has expressed significant enthusiasm for India, characterizing it as the company's second-largest and fastest-growing market globally. This positive assessment stems from the remarkable momentum of AI adoption across the country, which he witnessed firsthand while speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 and meeting with high-level government officials. He highlighted specific metrics, such as the fourfold increase in weekly users for OpenAI's Codex tool in just two weeks, demonstrating a vibrant and engaged developer ecosystem eager to build with the technology.

His engagement extended beyond market metrics to aligning with national aspirations, as he specifically lauded the Prime Minister's vision to democratize AI, noting it aligns closely with OpenAI's own core beliefs. However, he also provided pointed career advice to Indian students and professionals during his visit, warning that relying solely on traditional coding skills will not guarantee future employment success due to AI tool integration. Instead, he stressed the necessity of quickly developing personal intuition and mastering the use of new AI tools to thrive in the evolving technological landscape.

Key Quotes

For a predictor of what the world is going to be like going forward, I don't think you should trust me for having good intuition of the rate of change. Young people always figure this out the best.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sam Altman views India very positively, recognizing it as an exceptionally important and rapidly expanding market for OpenAI's AI products. He praised the energy and excitement of Indian builders utilizing AI across the technology stack during his visit in 2026.

He issued a blunt warning to young Indian professionals, stating that coding alone will not guarantee a job in the future. Sam Altman advised them to focus on becoming proficient in using advanced AI tools, equating that skill to the necessity of learning to code in his own generation.

Yes, Sam Altman met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit for the India AI Impact Summit 2026. He expressed admiration for the Prime Minister's vision, particularly his enthusiasm for democratizing AI technology across Indian society.