# Sam Altman

Samuel Harris Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and investor, CEO of OpenAI since 2019, known for leading ChatGPT's launch and the AI boom, and previously president of Y Combinator.

Samuel Harris Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and investor who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the artificial intelligence company [OpenAI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai) since 2019. He is a prominent figure in the [generative AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai) boom, having supervised the launch of [ChatGPT](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/large-language-model) in November 2022. Altman previously led the startup accelerator [Y Combinator](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/y-combinator) as president from 2014 to 2019 and has built a substantial investment portfolio across technology and biotechnology ventures.

Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a research organization focused on [artificial intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) safety and development. Under his leadership, the company transitioned to a capped-profit model and released influential products including GPT-3, ChatGPT, and subsequent models based on [transformer](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/transformer) architectures. His tenure has been marked by rapid commercial growth and internal governance challenges, including a brief ouster by the board in 2023.

## Early life and education

Altman was born in Chicago on April 22, 1985, to a Jewish American family. His mother, Connie Gibstine, is a dermatologist, and his father, Jerry Altman, was a real estate broker. He is the eldest of four siblings: two brothers, Max and Jack, and a sister, Ann. His paternal great-grandfather was born in Płock, Poland. In 1989, the family moved to Jerry's hometown of Clayton, Missouri.

At age eight, Altman received his first computer, an Apple Macintosh, and began learning to code and disassemble hardware. He attended John Burroughs School, a private institution in Ladue, Missouri. In 2005, after studying computer science for two years at Stanford University in Stanford, California, he dropped out without earning a bachelor's degree.

## Early career and Loopt

In 2005, at age 19, Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application. As CEO, he raised more than $30 million in venture capital, including an initial $5 million from Patrick Chung of Xfund and New Enterprise Associates, followed by investments from Sequoia Capital and Y Combinator. Loopt purchased geolocation data from cellular providers to let users see friends' real-time locations, but it failed to gain significant traction. The board twice attempted to remove Altman as CEO, though his supporters defended him. In March 2012, Green Dot Corporation acquired Loopt for $43.4 million.

## Y Combinator presidency

In 2011, Altman became a part-time partner at Y Combinator, the startup accelerator co-founded by Paul Graham. In February 2014, he succeeded Graham as president, aiming to expand YC to fund 1,000 new companies per year and broaden its focus to include "hard technology" startups. He invested in companies such as Stripe. In September 2016, his role expanded to president of YC Group, encompassing Y Combinator and other units.

By 2018, Altman's growing involvement with OpenAI reduced his presence at YC, and some partners complained to Graham that Altman was using his position to prioritize his own investments. Graham later said Altman had agreed to leave but was resisting in practice. In March 2019, YC moved its headquarters to San Francisco, and Altman and YC publicly claimed he had transitioned to a less hands-on chairman role, though Graham stated Altman was removed due to partners' mistrust.

## Investment activities

As of June 2024, Altman's investment portfolio included stakes in over 400 companies, valued at around $2.8 billion. Some investments intersect with companies doing business with OpenAI, raising questions about conflicts of interest; OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor said Altman has been transparent about his holdings.

In April 2012, Altman co-founded Hydrazine Capital with his brother Jack. The initial $21 million fund included part of the $5 million from Loopt's sale, but most came from Peter Thiel, his mentor. Altman invested 75 percent of the fund in Y Combinator companies. In 2023, Hydrazine's fourth fund had the University of Michigan endowment as its only outside investor. Altman debuted on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index in March 2024 with an estimated net worth of $2 billion, largely from his venture funds. He attended the Bilderberg Meeting in 2016, 2022, and 2023.

### Biotech and other ventures

Altman has invested in Humane, a wearable AI device company; Retro Biosciences, which aims to extend human life by 10 years; Boom Technology, a supersonic airline developer; Cruise, a self-driving car company later acquired by General Motors; and Helion Energy, a fusion research company. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped fund Project Covalence with TrialSpark to accelerate clinical trials. In March 2023, during the Silicon Valley Bank run, he provided capital to multiple startups. He also invested in charter city projects Próspera and Praxis, associated with the Network State movement, and in Minicircle, a longevity biotech company.

### Reddit and Worldcoin

In 2014, Altman served as CEO of Reddit for eight days after Yishan Wong resigned, and he announced Steve Huffman's return as CEO in July 2015. He remained on Reddit's board until 2022 and invested in funding rounds in 2014, 2015, and 2021. Before Reddit's 2024 IPO, he was its third-largest shareholder with about 9 percent ownership.

In 2019, Altman co-founded Tools For Humanity, the for-profit company behind Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency project that uses iris scanning for identity verification. The project has faced regulatory scrutiny in several countries over privacy concerns.

## OpenAI leadership

Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab, alongside Elon Musk and others, with a mission to ensure [AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) benefits all of humanity. In 2019, he became CEO, overseeing the creation of a capped-profit subsidiary to attract investment. Under his leadership, OpenAI released GPT-3 in 2020, which demonstrated the power of [large language models](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/large-language-model), and ChatGPT in November 2022, which became a global phenomenon and sparked the [generative AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai) boom. The company also developed products like DALL-E and GPT-4, built on [deep learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/deep-learning) and [neural network](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/neural-network) techniques.

Altman has been a vocal advocate for AI regulation and safety, testifying before the U.S. Congress in 2023. He has also been involved in efforts to scale AI infrastructure, including partnerships with Microsoft Azure and other cloud providers.

### 2023 ouster and reinstatement

In November 2023, OpenAI's board ousted Altman, citing a lack of "consistent candor" in his communications. The move triggered a backlash from employees and investors, with nearly all of OpenAI's 770 employees signing a letter demanding his return. After five days of negotiations, Altman was reinstated as CEO, and a new board was formed, including Bret Taylor as chairman. The incident highlighted tensions between the nonprofit's mission and its commercial growth.

## Personal life and public image

Altman is known for his intense work ethic and interest in existential risk, including AI and biosecurity. He has been a mentor to many tech founders and is often compared to figures like Steve Jobs. As of 2024, he remains a central figure in the AI industry, with significant influence over the direction of [OpenAI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/openai) and the broader field of [artificial intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence).

## Legacy and impact

Altman's career has been defined by his ability to identify and scale transformative technologies. From Loopt to Y Combinator to OpenAI, he has played a key role in shaping the startup ecosystem and the commercial deployment of AI. His leadership at OpenAI has accelerated the adoption of [generative AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai) across industries, while also raising important questions about safety, ethics, and governance. As of 2024, he continues to drive OpenAI's mission toward [artificial general intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-general-intelligence), with ongoing debates about the societal implications of such systems.

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Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/sam-altman-2
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Last updated: 2026-10-07T16:37:08.695022+00:00