{
  "id": 12180952,
  "title": "Sam Altman Insists He Had Nothing to Do With Amazon’s Decision to Drop ‘Artificial’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/sam-altman-insists-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-amazons-decision-to-drop",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T15:28:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TheWrap",
    "slug": "thewrap",
    "url": "https://www.thewrap.com/culture-lifestyle/culture/sam-altman-artificial-amazon-drops-openai-movie/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has firmly stated that he had no involvement in Amazon MGM's choice to discontinue \"Artificial,\" a film directed by Luca Guadagnino about Altman's life written by \"Miracle Workers\" creator Simon Rich and starring Andrew Garfield. Altman emphasized that he never discussed the movie with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. \"Artificial,\" which also features Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk, was dropped from Amazon MGM's release schedule in June, sparking significant backlash due to the film's release timing following Amazon's $50 billion partnership with OpenAI in February. Despite this, Altman denied any role in Amazon's decision during a Vanity Fair interview, asserting, \"I did not, and I don't know of anyone else who did.\" Following Amazon's decision, Neon agreed to release \"Artificial\" in select theaters on Christmas Day, followed by wider distribution in January. The trailer for \"Artificial\" premiered in early September, revealing Garfield's portrayal of Altman, which Altman himself previewed months before. Altman expressed surprise at seeing Garfield in character, noting the actor's adeptness at capturing his quirks and mannerisms. However, Altman clarified that he believes \"Artificial\" will not provide an accurate portrayal of his life or daily routines, particularly disputing a scene where Garfield's character is seen entering an underground bunker with gun-toting walls. Altman stated, \"I don't think they're going for accuracy. They're trying to make a good movie and maybe it will be good. I don't know. Good as a movie. It will not be good as an accurate depiction. Except for the walk. That seemed good.\"",
  "summary": "\"I never spoke to Jeff Bezos about it,\" the OpenAI CEO says of Luca Guadagnino and Andrew Garfield's biopic The post Sam Altman Insists He Had Nothing to Do With Amazon’s Decision to Drop ‘Artificial’ appeared first on TheWrap .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}