“Whether you like Amodei or not, at least he’s a leader.” — Andrew Keen

Dario Amodei is the most interesting man in America right now. Not because he runs a $500 billion company. But because he’s acting like a human being in public. He has principles, he states them, and he accepts the consequences. In 2026, that’s leadership. It shouldn’t be remarkable. It is.
This week’s TWTW: America both loves and hates AI. 60–70% concerned. A hundred data centers cancelled. 10,000 authors published an anti-AI manifesto. But a billion people use ChatGPT each week. Every road led back to Amodei. Keith thinks he’s a naive CEO. I think we need leaders like him. The MAGA crowd — including David Sacks — are doing the opposite. The IPO race between Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI makes it urgent. Musk is embracing white racists. Altman is wearing every hat. Amodei knows his hat. He’s got my vote. Even if he’s not running for office.

Five Takeaways
• AI Less Popular Than the Democrats. 60–70% concerned. 100 data centers cancelled. 10,000 authors published an anti-AI manifesto. The haters outnumber the lovers.
• Amodei as Leader. Suing the Trump administration. Refusing autonomous weapons. Accepting the consequences. Keith thinks he’s naive. I think he’s the only one acting like a human being.
• Keith vs Ballmer Redux. Keith fought Microsoft in the Nineties and lost. He sees Amodei on the same path. The MAGA crowd, including David Sacks, agree with Keith.
• The IPO Race Will Force the Debate. Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI all expected this year. Amodei could use it to force a conversation nobody in government will have.
• In the Absence of Leadership, Fear Thrives. Nobody’s setting policy. Amodei is trying. That’s more than anyone else can say.

About the Guest
Keith Teare is the publisher of That Was The Week and co-founder of SignalRank.

References
That Was The Week: https://thatwastheweek.substack.com/
SignalRank: https://signalrank.ai/

About Keen On America
Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen.
Website: https://keenon.tv/ Substack: https://keenon.substack.com/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@KeenOnShow

Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction: AI loved and hated
00:01:17 NBC poll: AI less popular than the Democrats
00:03:10 Rex Woodbury and the haters: is it really AI people hate?
00:04:21 AI slop and Keith’s terrible video
00:07:28 The adoption curve: AI companies are isolated from mainstream opinion
00:07:51 Dario Amodei as the answer to both lovers and haters
00:10:14 Keith vs Ballmer redux: why Amodei has already lost
00:12:09 OpenAI and Google employees rush to Anthropic’s defense
00:14:24 Woodbury, The Verge, and AI taking jobs
00:16:51 Keith’s Apple TV app: vibe coded in a weekend
00:19:29 AI will destroy universities: cheating at apocalyptic levels
00:21:41 Noah Smith: something feels weird about this economy
00:27:00 The IPO race: Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceX
00:30:42 Could Amodei blow up the IPO process?
00:33:23 Amodei vs Musk: the 21st century’s first real leaders?
00:37:35 Moltbook post of the week and Mercor startup of the week