Protesters gathered outside San Francisco’s Fort Mason on Tuesday to disrupt OpenAI‘s annual DevDay event. More than a dozen organisations, including the Tech Workers Coalition and the Service Employees International Union, organised the rally. Participants held signs reading “People over profit” and “Drop the ICE contract” while chanting against CEO Sam Altman. Several individuals wore cardboard robot costumes to highlight concerns about automation. The demonstration began before the conference officially started, drawing attention to the company’s recent labour disputes and its data centre partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This gathering matters because it signals growing friction between major technology firms and their workforce in the United States. The specific demand to end the contract with ICE reflects a broader rejection of corporate alliances with controversial government agencies. Workers are using public visibility to pressure management on ethical sourcing and internal culture rather than abstract technological goals. The presence of multiple unions suggests coordinated action rather than isolated dissatisfaction.
