In a sign of escalating tensions between the public and the artificial intelligence industry, top firms OpenAI and Anthropic are reportedly advising staff to conceal company branding in public to avoid hostility and espionage.
A Quiet Directive
Company-branded hoodies and laptop
stickers have long been a badge of honour in Silicon Valley, but for employees at leading AI labs, they may be becoming a liability. Recent reports indicate that both OpenAI and Anthropic are asking their San Francisco-based staff to maintain a low profile outside the office. The advice includes not wearing clothing with company logos, concealing work badges in public, and even using privacy screens on laptops while on public transport. Anthropic has reportedly all but banned branded merchandise for its team, while OpenAI has integrated warnings into security training about potential approaches from people seeking to extract confidential information through bribery, friendship, or even romance.
Espionage and Hostility
The concerns appear to be twofold: corporate espionage and genuine public hostility. The race to build more powerful AI is fiercely competitive, and employees are privy to valuable trade secrets. One investor noted that people constantly approach AI workers for firsthand information on cutting-edge developments. But beyond corporate spying, there is a more visceral threat. The precautions follow a series of unsettling incidents, including protests outside OpenAI's headquarters and attacks targeting CEO Sam Altman's home. In April 2026, one suspect allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at his property, while others were accused of firing a shot outside his home days later. Anthropic has also disclosed spending millions on personal security for its CEO, Dario Amodei, reflecting the heightened security climate.
Anxiety in the Air
This directive doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's a symptom of a growing 'techlash' specifically aimed at artificial intelligence. Public sentiment has soured considerably, with polls showing that a majority of Americans are now more concerned than excited about AI. Key anxieties revolve around mass job displacement, the spread of misinformation, privacy violations, and the existential risk of uncontrolled superintelligence. These fears are no longer just theoretical. The 2023 Hollywood strikes were partially fuelled by concerns over AI replacing writers and actors, and workers across many white-collar professions now fear their jobs are vulnerable to automation. This widespread unease has created a charged environment, particularly in AI's epicentre, San Francisco.
The View From San Francisco
On the streets of San Francisco, the friction is palpable. For years, the most visible manifestations of AI have been autonomous vehicles, and they have become a frequent target for vandalism. Waymo and Cruise robotaxis have been spray-painted, had their tires slashed, and been immobilised with traffic cones by protest groups like the 'Safe Street Rebels'. In a dramatic escalation in February 2024, a crowd in Chinatown surrounded an empty Waymo vehicle, smashed its windows, and set it on fire with a firework. While these attacks target machines, they reflect a deep-seated frustration with tech companies that some residents feel are imposing a new reality on their city without consent. This atmosphere contributes to the feeling that being visibly associated with a major AI company could make an employee a target.
An Industry Under Pressure
The reported measures by OpenAI and Anthropic highlight a significant turning point. The AI industry is transitioning from a celebrated frontier of innovation to a sector grappling with intense public scrutiny and real-world safety concerns for its people. The tension is also playing out within the companies themselves, with a number of researchers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google publicly resigning over safety concerns and a lack of transparency. This internal and external pressure creates a difficult balancing act: how to project confidence and attract talent while simultaneously managing the societal anxieties and physical risks their work creates. The days of simply 'moving fast and breaking things' may be over, replaced by a new era of 'moving carefully and trying not to get targeted'.
