--- title: "Panicked Sam Altman Reverses Position as Walls Close In, Says People Should Be Able to Own RAM" description: "Sam Altman said that it didn't make sense for individual people to run their own AI models at home. He changed his mind after the election." date: "2026-11-04" modified: "2026-11-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor.md" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sam-altman-reverses-position-ram" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" - "OpenAI" --- # Panicked Sam Altman Reverses Position as Walls Close In, Says People Should Be Able to Own RAM ![A photo illustration of Sam Altman in front of RAM.]() *Getty Images / Shutterstock / Futurism* During a recent podcast appearance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman [made some baffling comments]() that really hit a nerve on social media. The billionaire said that it didn't make sense for individual people to run their own AI models at home and that all of their RAM chips were far better off being used inside the industry's widely-reviled data centers. "But from a global allocation perspective, actually, it’s quite terrible to have everybody have a bunch of the world’s limited supply of \[dynamic RAM\] sitting in their own computer," he said. The bizarre missive drew a heated reaction, especially among PC enthusiasts who've watched in sorrow as computer parts have [become unaffordable]() thanks to the AI industry's unrelenting hunger for chips. But now that Big Tech, which has spent years cozying up to the Trump administration, experienced a bruising defeat, Altman is suddenly singing a different tune. In an apparent attempt to save face, Altman went on X on election night to set the record straight — by arguing he didn't say what he said. "I actually do want the world to have tons of memory and people to put as much as they want in their computers, and it is f\*\*\*ing annoying that this was taken out of context," he [wrote](). "I have been arguing for the world to ramp up memory production for a long time." "I want you to have so much \[RAM\]," he [replied]() to another user. "Let's build more." It's not hard to see a motive behind his original comments. If people can run their own AI models at home, it undercuts the industry's push to sell expensive subscriptions to cloud-based services. Besides his latest gaffe, Altman has plenty of other fires to put out as data centers [have proven to be an enormous political liability](), with plenty of moratoriums on the horizon. That could make increasing chip supplies an even bigger challenge in the future. Chipmakers remain in crisis mode, with Intel experiencing its [worst single day wipeout]() in market value since 1974 last week. Experts warn that major global chip disruptions could drag on for many years to come as AI leaders, including Altman, desperately [reach out to international manufacturers]() for more. The flap illustrates wildly diverging conceptions of AI. To the people leading the industry, it's a technological revolution. To the disillusioned public — and especially furious PC enthusiasts — it's an enormous waste of resources that [could backfire in spectacular fashion]() as strained financial markets reach a breaking point. **More on Altman:** [*Sam Altman Absolutely Hates the Idea of People Running Their Own AI Models at Home, Argues They Shouldn’t Own Computers*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Sam Altman Absolutely Hates the Idea of People Running Their Own AI Models at Home, Argues They Shouldn’t Own Computers]() - [AI Data Centers Are Making RAM Crushingly Expensive, Which Is Going to Skyrocket the Cost of Laptops, Tablets, and Gaming PCs]() - [Sam Altman Says “Significant Fraction” of Earth’s Total Electricity Should Go to Running AI]() - [This Might Be the Reason OpenAI Fired Sam Altman]() - [OpenAI Agreed to Pay $51 Million to Company Linked to Sam Altman]() - [Sam Altman Says He Intends to Replace Normal People With AI]() - [Sam Altman Warns That AI Is Gonna Destroy a Lot of People’s Jobs]() - [Sam Altman Stumped When Asked What Humans Will Do Better Than AI]()