QuitGPT protest at OpenAI HQ exposes wider anger beyond Pentagon deal
Mar 5th 2026
A small but diverse crowd protested outside OpenAI on Tuesday, condemning the company’s Pentagon deal while spotlighting wider worries about environmental impact, creative labor, and economic inequality.
- About 40 to 50 people gathered outside OpenAI's Mission Bay office in San Francisco as part of the QuitGPT movement.
- Protesters expressed opposition to OpenAI's contract with the Pentagon and raised broader concerns about data center water and energy use, climate impact, and jobs.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted a memo saying the company will revise the contract to bar surveillance of US persons and restrict intelligence agency use without separate modification and acknowledged a rushed rollout.
- Negotiations between Anthropic and the Pentagon broke down over guarantees against mass surveillance and autonomous weapons, and Anthropic's Claude briefly rose to No. 1 in the App Store after public endorsements.
- Attendees included climate advocates, anti-AI activists, and tech workers who use AI but oppose military applications, with protesters chalking slogans and criticizing tech wealth concentration.