Amazon exec explains axed Sam Altman biopic as data centers sway voters in exit poll
adariostrange · x · 2026-11-08
- The axed biopic: Screenwriter Simon Rich pitched Artificial to Amazon MGM in 2024; Luca Guadagnino was tapped as director around June 2025. Then came OpenAI's $38B cloud deal with Amazon and, in Feb 2026, a $50B Amazon investment in OpenAI. In June, Amazon dropped the nearly finished film, which landed at Neon weeks later. Hollywood suspects Altman quietly used the business relationship to kill it; studio chief Mike Hopkins' explanation dodged the big question.
- Data centers on ballots: An exit poll across 45 key states on Nov. 3, 2026 shows 23% of voters called AI data centers "crucial" to their congressional vote and 33% "a major factor." Among Democrats, 67% said crucial vs. 30% of Republicans — the future of AI is being decided on local ballots, not just in Silicon Valley.
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