OpenAI’s Greg and Anna Brockman donate nearly $40,000 to Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al Ahmed GoFundMe

OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna Brockman, have contributed nearly $40,000 to a GoFundMe campaign for Ahmed al Ahmed. 

The 43-year-old, who is being hailed as the “Bondi Beach hero,” was present at the location when two attackers opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration. Ahmed ran towards one of the assailants and disarmed him, but got shot in the process. 

His heroics were captured on camera, in which the Syrian-born Australian is seen tackling and wrestling one of the attackers, before snatching his rifle. Later, he was rushed to the hospital to receive treatment for gunshot wounds. 

Thomas “Tom” Traynor, owner and CEO of Car Hub Australia, created a GoFundMe page with famous content creator Zachery Dereniowski to provide necessary financial support to Ahmed. Their campaign description reads: 

“After witnessing the extraordinary actions of the hero who helped disarm one of the attackers during the Bondi tragedy, an act that prevented the loss of countless more lives, we felt compelled to act.” 

The campaign recounts Ahmed al Ahmed’s actions and how he got injured while disarming the Bondi Beach attacker. The organizers stated: 

“This GoFundMe has been created to show our gratitude and support for someone who demonstrated incredible courage when it mattered most.” 

Within three days, the GoFundMe page has raised over $2.48M, including a donation of $37,624 from OpenAI’s Greg and Anna Brockman. For the unversed, Thomas Traynor had kicked off the fundraiser by donating $50,000. 

Ahmed al Ahmed's GoFundMe raises nearly $2.5M, with top donations from Bill Ackman and Greg and Anna Brockman

The Bondi Beach hero’s fundraising campaign has received more than 42,000 donations within three days of its launch. As of this writing, the GoFundMe page has raised $2,486,350 and is nearing its goal of $ 3.1 million. Greg and Anna Brockman are among the top donors and contributed nearly $40,000. 

This is the verified link for the Bondi hero. I am told by @gofundme that the funds will only be released directly to the hero. https://t.co/2sc5Z1Vut1

— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 14, 2025

The list is topped by hedge fund manager William “Bill” Ackman, who donated $99,999 shortly after the launch of the Ahmed al Ahmed GoFundMe page. The billionaire CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management also tweeted about the fundraiser, encouraging others to donate:

“This is the verified link for the Bondi hero. I am told by @gofundme that the funds will only be released directly to the hero.” 

An X user appreciated Bill, while urging him to also donate towards “the Chabad or local Jewish community.” The tweet referenced the Bondi Beach terror attack that stemmed from anti-semitism and claimed many lives. Ackman replied affirmatively and wrote: 

“On it” 

Anna Brockman previously made headlines during Sam Altman’s dramatic ouster from OpenAI a few years back

In November 2023, the CEO of OpenAI was unexpectedly fired by the organization’s board. Greg Brockman, who served as the company’s president, resigned in protest. Ilya Sutskever, who was a board member and OpenAI’s chief engineer, reportedly broke the news to Altman. 

Wall Street Journal reported that Anna Brockman cried in front of Sutskever, who also officiated her and Greg’s wedding. She reportedly pleaded with him to change his mind regarding Sam Altman’s ouster. 

Afterwards, the OpenAI chief engineer reportedly changed his mind and even signed an open letter, along with other employees, to bring the CEO back. Eventually, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman were reinstated as the chief executive and president, respectively.