Sam Altman is doing damage control, and it’s in the form of a new alter ego.

Altman received intense criticism online after saying on the Cheeky Pint podcast that it was bad for individual users to have RAM (random access memory, a computer’s high-speed, short-term memory) on their computers rather than in a data center. Many critics, including his longtime foe Elon Musk, felt he came off like an AI CEO telling individuals to act in the best interests of tech companies, which want most of the limited RAM supply to power data centers.

Enter “Ram Altman.”

At the suggestion of an X user, Altman changed his name on the platform to “Ram Altman” and insisted his quote was taken out of context, according to IGN. “I have been arguing for the world to ramp up memory production for a long time,” he wrote.

The fallout comes as data centers become one of the most toxic issues in American politics. Voters in at least 38 jurisdictions passed bans or heavy restrictions on data centers on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

In Altman’s replies, that sentiment showed up as more memes and jokes at his expense.

Sam Altman is doing damage control, and it’s in the form of a new alter ego.

Altman received intense criticism online after saying on the Cheeky Pint podcast that it was bad for individual users to have RAM (random access memory, a computer’s high-speed, short-term memory) on their computers rather than in a data center. Many critics, including his longtime foe Elon Musk, felt he came off like an AI CEO telling individuals to act in the best interests of tech companies, which want most of the limited RAM supply to power data centers.

Enter “Ram Altman.”

At the suggestion of an X user, Altman changed his name on the platform to “Ram Altman” and insisted his quote was taken out of context, according to IGN. “I have been arguing for the world to ramp up memory production for a long time,” he wrote.

The fallout comes as data centers become one of the most toxic issues in American politics. Voters in at least 38 jurisdictions passed bans or heavy restrictions on data centers on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post.

In Altman’s replies, that sentiment showed up as more memes and jokes at his expense.