Promise vs Reality
Documented Lies
Public commitments that were later broken, quietly abandoned, or contradicted on the record. Each entry pairs the promise — with its primary source — against the documented violations that followed.
Sam Altman
Quietly abandoned
Moderate
Primary evidence
Governance
Altman: ads on ChatGPT would be a 'last resort' — within months OpenAI was hiring for ads
Said:
“I think ads-on-top-of-AI is a really unfortunate way to monetize … I would consider ads sort of a last resort.”
Promised 2024-03-18
Audience: General public
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2025-05-08
Google
Violated
Catastrophic
Primary evidence
Military
Google: 'We will not design or deploy AI for weapons'
Said:
“We will not design or deploy AI in the following application areas: … Weapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people.”
Promised 2018-06-07
Audience: Employees
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2025-02-04
OpenAI
Violated
Catastrophic
Primary evidence
Military
OpenAI: usage policy bars 'military and warfare' applications
Said:
“Disallowed usage of our models: … Activity that has high risk of physical harm, including: Weapons development; Military and warfare.”
Promised 2023-03-23
Audience: General public
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2024-12-04
Elon Musk
Violated
Major
Primary evidence
Autonomous systems
Musk: Tesla will drive itself coast-to-coast with no human input by end of 2017
Said:
“I am very confident that we will be able to do a demonstration drive of full autonomy from LA to New York by the end of the year. So basically, you'll be able to get in the car, go to sleep, and wake up at your destin…”
Promised 2016-10-19
Audience: General public
3 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2024-04-26
Sam Bankman-Fried
Violated
Catastrophic
Primary evidence
Financial
Bankman-Fried: 'FTX has enough to cover all client holdings. We don't invest client assets.'
Said:
“FTX has enough to cover all client holdings. We don't invest client assets (even in treasuries). We have been processing all withdrawals, and will continue to be.”
Promised 2022-11-07
Audience: Customers
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2024-03-28
Mark Zuckerberg
Violated
Major
Primary evidence
Privacy
Zuckerberg to Congress: 'You should have complete control over your data'
Said:
“Across the board, we have a responsibility to not just build tools, but to make sure those tools are used for good. … You should have complete control over your data.”
Promised 2018-04-10
Audience: Congress
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2023-05-22
ExxonMobil
Violated
Catastrophic
Primary evidence
Climate
ExxonMobil: 'The science is uncertain' — while internal scientists confirmed warming
Said:
“Currently, the scientific evidence is inconclusive as to whether human activities are having a significant effect on the global climate.”
Promised 2000-01-01
Audience: General public
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2023-01-13
Theranos
Violated
Catastrophic
Primary evidence
Financial
Holmes: Theranos can run hundreds of tests on a finger-prick of blood
Said:
“We've made it possible to run any combination of tests, including sets of follow-on tests, very quickly, all from a single micro-sample. … Tests run on samples as small as a few drops of blood, taken from a tiny finge…”
Promised 2014-09-08
Audience: Investors
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2022-11-18
WhatsApp
Violated
Major
Primary evidence
Privacy
WhatsApp founders: 'Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA' — no Facebook data sharing
Said:
“Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA … Above all else, I want to make sure you understand how deeply I value the principle of private communication. … We have not, we do not and we will not ever sell your pe…”
Promised 2014-02-19
Audience: General public
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2021-09-02
Boeing
Violated
Catastrophic
Primary evidence
Other
Boeing: 'The 737 MAX is safe' — days before the second fatal crash
Said:
“We're confident in the safety of the 737 MAX. Safety is a core value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of our airplanes, our customers' passengers and their crews is always our top priority.”
Promised 2019-03-08
Audience: General public
2 sourced violations
Most recent breach 2021-01-07
Goblin House