Silicon Valley Spooks The AI Safety Advocates: A Growing Rift In Tech Ethics
Silicon Valley spooks the AI safety advocates once again — this time with public criticism from major tech figures like White House AI & Crypto Czar David Sacks and OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon. Their recent remarks have stirred intense debate about whether AI safety groups are truly acting in the public interest or simply advancing hidden agendas.
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AI watchdogs argue that this is not just another online spat — it’s part of a broader campaign by Silicon Valley power players to silence or discredit their critics. And for many advocates, the tone of these attacks feels increasingly personal and intimidating.
Silicon Valley’s Longstanding Tension With AI Safety Groups
AI safety leaders who spoke with TechCrunch describe the latest controversy as another chapter in Silicon Valley’s long history of resisting oversight. In 2024, venture capital circles spread fear that California’s AI safety bill SB 1047 would criminalize startup founders — a claim later dismissed by the Brookings Institution as misleading.
Despite the correction, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill, highlighting how easily misinformation can sway AI policy debates. That legacy still looms large today as Silicon Valley spooks the AI safety advocates through new rounds of online attacks.
Fear And Retaliation In The AI Ethics Community
Whether intentional or not, the comments from Sacks and Kwon have created a chilling effect. Several nonprofit leaders told TechCrunch they now fear retaliation from influential investors or AI companies. Many have requested anonymity when speaking out, worried their organizations could lose funding or face online harassment.
This fear illustrates how deeply the power imbalance runs between billion-dollar AI firms and the smaller watchdog groups trying to hold them accountable.
Building AI Responsibly vs. Building For Profit
This conflict goes beyond individual feuds — it represents Silicon Valley’s struggle to reconcile ethical AI development with profit-driven innovation. On the latest Equity podcast, TechCrunch reporters discussed how the industry is torn between building AI responsibly and scaling it into a massive global product.
The same tension plays out in recent policy changes, like California’s new AI safety law regulating chatbots and OpenAI’s controversial moderation decisions on explicit content. These developments show how the line between responsible innovation and market ambition keeps blurring.
David Sacks Targets Anthropic Over AI Regulation
The online firestorm intensified when David Sacks posted on X accusing Anthropic — one of the few companies supporting tighter AI regulation — of fearmongering. According to Sacks, Anthropic’s warnings about AI risks like unemployment, cyberattacks, and social harm are self-serving tactics to shape laws that favor its business model.
Anthropic had endorsed California Senate Bill 53 (SB 53), which enforces stricter safety reporting for large AI developers. The bill was signed into law last month, making it one of the few AI accountability measures to survive the legislative process in 2025.
Sacks’ comments came in response to an essay by Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark, who voiced genuine concerns about AI’s impact on society during his speech at the Curve AI Safety Conference in Berkeley. While Clark’s remarks sounded sincere to many in the audience, Sacks interpreted them as manipulation — fueling yet another ideological divide in the AI community.
AI Safety Under Pressure
As Silicon Valley spooks the AI safety advocates, one thing becomes clear — the balance between innovation and responsibility remains fragile. The attacks from tech elites may not silence the AI safety movement, but they’ve certainly changed its tone.
With regulators tightening their focus and AI ethics groups facing mounting pressure, the question isn’t just who controls AI — it’s who controls the narrative about AI safety itself.
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