- Sam Altman posted an anime style photo of himself wearing an Indian cricket jersey, which received a lot of attention and comments from Indian users.
- He recently complimented India’s development in tech and posted India-related posts, indicating increasing interest in the country.
- India’s technology market is expanding rapidly, and companies such as OpenAI and others are increasingly looking to expand their presence there.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, often does things online that get people talking. On April 3, 2025, he posted an anime style photo on X of himself as a cricket player in India’s blue jersey, holding a bat.
Sam Altman told ChatGPT to make a picture of him as a cricket player in anime style, and Indian fans went crazy over it. Cricket is a big sport in India, and seeing Altman in the Indian jersey surprised many people. Some really liked it, while others were confused and asked why he did it.
Altman had already shared cartoon style art before, joining the Studio Ghibli trend a few days earlier. But the cricket jersey image caught more attention. Some people on X joked that he was trying to attract Indian users. Others pointed out that he’s been focusing a lot on India recently.
On the same day, he praised India’s tech growth, calling it fast and impressive. A few days before that, he shared Ghibli style images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which showed him with Trump and visiting a temple.
A Shift in Tune
Sam Altman focuses on India didn’t happen by chance. Back in 2023, at a event, he had said that, Indian startups couldn’t compete with his company, even with a $10 million budget.
But in 2025, he changed his approach. In February, he met India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and said India had become OpenAI’s second biggest market, with user numbers tripling in a year.
He also talked about working together on affordable tech projects. This change is important, especially since OpenAI is facing legal cases from Indian news companies over how their content was used.
Why India Matters
India’s tech market might reach $8 billion by the end of this year, growing over 40% every year. Experts like Nikhil Pahwa from MediaNama say India’s large number of users makes it a great place for tech companies.
Sam Altman isn’t the only one paying attention. Aravind Srinivas from a growing chatbot company recently promised $1 million to help India grow in this space.
Tech writer Prasanto K Roy says the recent Ghibli style photo trend shows how popular ChatGPT has become in India. And with other tools like Gemini and Grok becoming popular, Altman seems to be keeping strong ties with India.
Within a week, he shared three India focused posts including a compliment, a repost, and the viral cricket photo. Whether it is casual engagement or a strategic move, it has certainly caught attention across India.
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