squirrel.filed.fyi

Altman Admits People Hate Data Centers as His Data Center Guy Quits

Sources:

Filed to: AI Has Arrived in American Life as a Giant Turd Mountain | Ghost GDP - When the Economy Stops Needing You

The timing

Sam Altman told Time "Clearly, people hate data centers — right now, at least." In the same week, his head of data centers Chris Malone left the company. Malone joined in March 2025 when Stargate launched and bailed after less than a year and a half.

The numbers

  • 7 in 10 Americans oppose building data centers in their area (Gallup, May 2026)
  • 48 projects representing $156 billion in investment have been blocked or stalled by local resistance
  • 120+ moratoriums proposed in 38 states
  • 60% of Republicans and 53% of MAGA voters oppose data centers (Fox News poll)
  • $23 billion in estimated electricity costs passed to consumers

The political fallout

Texas Governor Abbott ordered regulators to scrutinize data center grid connections. Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro removed AI data centers from fast-track permitting. Bipartisan data center hate is the most unified force in American politics right now.

OpenAI's response

OpenAI says it still doesn't have enough compute and is planning beyond Stargate's original 10GW target. Exec Sachin Katti told Time: "If anything, we should have bought a lot more." In the same article where 70% of Americans say "not in my backyard."

Verdict: The bipartisan NIMBY coalition uniting 60% of Republicans and 53% of MAGA against data centers is the most unified thing in American politics. Trump champions them. His voters hate them. That's a midterm issue writing itself.

children