Registry

Does OpenAI support Israel?

Statement on recordupdated 2026-09-25

OpenAI has publicly expressed support for Israel, but we found no record of donations or aid. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Tech companies · Companies that support Israel

Background

Beyond the corporate steps documented above, several widely shared claims require precise attribution. A February 2025 Associated Press investigation found that the Israeli military sharply increased its use of OpenAI models such as GPT-4 after October 7, 2023 — but the models were purchased through Microsoft's Azure cloud under Microsoft's commercial partnership with OpenAI; OpenAI said it has no partnership with Israel's military, though in January 2024 it removed the blanket ban on "military and warfare" uses from its policies and allowed some national-security applications. A December 2025 viral claim that Israel signed a "$6 million contract with ChatGPT" to make it pro-Israel was debunked by Snopes: the actual contract was between a media company working for Israel and the US strategy firm Clock Tower X, not with OpenAI. Sam Altman's personal posts — saying he had been "totally wrong" to downplay antisemitism, and separately urging empathy for Muslim and Palestinian colleagues in tech — are his personal statements, not corporate actions.

AP (via US News) Snopes Times of Israel (Altman on antisemitism) Fortune (Altman on Muslim colleagues)

Timeline of documented records

2024202520262023-06 — Public statement: Israeli government and tech sectorPublic statement2023-062026-07 — Operations in Israel: Israeli market (first local commercial operation)Operations in Israel2026-07

Documented records

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Public statement2023-06-05—Israeli government and tech sector
CEO Sam Altman led an OpenAI leadership delegation — chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, COO Brad Lightcap, and policy VP Anna Makanju — to Israel on the company's world tour. Altman met President Isaac Herzog in person, spoke at Tel Aviv University, visited Microsoft's Israel R&D center, said "the rate at which the tech and startup community in Israel is embracing AI is incredible to watch," predicted Israel would play a "huge role" in the AI revolution, and said OpenAI was "examining different options for investing in Israel." Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with Altman by phone during the visit.
Operations in Israel2026-07—Israeli market (first local commercial operation)
Began building its first commercial operation in Israel: hired a senior executive who previously ran Amazon Web Services' startup business in Israel to lead business development with Israeli high-tech (formally an EMEA role reporting to OpenAI's London office but focused primarily on Israel), opened recruitment for an additional Israel-focused sales role, and weighed appointing a country manager and establishing a local business hub as the operation grows.

Frequently asked questions

Did OpenAI donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of donations. What is on record is a public statement of support — see this page for the wording and its source.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 10 distinct sources are cited for OpenAI. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-25

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