It seems Sam Altman has the same suspicion, based upon his response:

> There was an incendiary article about me a few days ago. Someone said to me yesterday they thought it was coming at a time of great anxiety about AI and that it made things more dangerous for me.

https://blog.samaltman.com/2279512

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47724921

Unlikely – no one is starting off undecided, then reading one article in The New Yorker and then committing this. And it's a slippery slope to tie it to legitimate criticism.

Trigger warning: AI animation of uncanny-valley Sam Altman "hydra"