Brad Gerstner, CEO of Altimeter Capital, publicly dismissed recent warnings regarding AI-driven human extinction as hyperbolic scare tactics during a CNBC interview on September 11, 2026. He attributed these narratives to political agendas rather than scientific evidence.
The comments followed the resignation of Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who claimed there is a greater than 10% chance of human extinction from superintelligence within the next decade. Gerstner suggested that such negative rhetoric might be linked to foreign interests aiming to slow US innovation.
Altimeter Capital disclosed new investments in semiconductor companies in its Q2 2026 filings. The firm invested approximately $347.9 million in Qualcomm, accounting for 3.54% of its US equity portfolio, and roughly $241.8 million in Micron Technology, representing 2.46% of the portfolio.
The firm continues to hold stakes in private AI companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, Glean, and Databricks. Gerstner emphasized that the firm favors a balanced approach to AI development, rejecting both calls for a total pause and unrestricted building.
