Sam Altman

Samuel Harris Altman, born April 22, 1985, in Chicago and raised in St. Louis, is a technology entrepreneur and investor known for founding some of the most influential companies in the startup and AI sectors. At eight years old, he received his first Apple Macintosh computer and began learning to code, establishing a lifelong passion for technology. He attended John Burroughs, an elite prep school, where he announced to a school assembly that he was gay and encouraged teachers to post 'Safe Space' placards in their classrooms in support of gay students. He attended Stanford University studying computer science for two years before dropping out in 2005 at age 19.

In 2005, Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application, as CEO raising more than $30 million in venture capital. In March 2012, after Loopt failed to gain significant user traction, the company was acquired by the Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million. In 2011, Altman became a partner at startup accelerator Y Combinator (YC), initially working on a part-time basis. In February 2014, he became president of YC, replacing YC co-founder Paul Graham, who had been his mentor. Altman aimed to expand YC to fund 1,000 new companies per year and sought to broaden the types of companies funded, particularly focusing on 'hard technology' startups. By the time Altman stepped down as president in 2019, Y Combinator had helped about 1,900 companies, among them the room-rental service Airbnb, the delivery companies Instacart and DoorDash, the forum site Reddit, and the streaming platform Twitch.

Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and became its CEO in 2019, a role that made him a prominent figure of the AI boom. He supervised the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. He has been compared to tech visionaries, including Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and is known for his belief that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could match or surpass human capabilities. In November 2023, OpenAI's board fired Altman as CEO because 'he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board.' However, after more than 500 OpenAI employees signed an open letter threatening to leave the company and follow Altman to a new division at Microsoft, the board reached an agreement within five days of his firing for Altman to return to his leadership position. Following the creation of ChatGPT, Time included him on its 2023 list of the 100 most influential people. He is a billionaire with many investments including Reddit, Worldcoin, and Helion Energy.

Career History

• CEO and Co-founder, OpenAI (2019–present)
• President, Y Combinator / YC Group (2014–2019)
• Partner, Y Combinator (2011–2014)
• CEO and Co-founder, Loopt (2005–2012)
• Co-founder, Hydrazine Capital (2012–present)

What Sam Altman could bring to his role as CEO of OpenAI: Altman's documented career demonstrates a unique ability to identify transformational opportunities at the intersection of technology and business. His experience scaling Y Combinator from a successful accelerator to an influential startup ecosystem hub—nurturing companies that became multi-billion-dollar enterprises—shows his capacity for organizational vision and execution at scale. His deep network across Silicon Valley investors and entrepreneurs, combined with his demonstrated ability to raise significant capital (evidenced by securing Microsoft's $1 billion investment for OpenAI in 2019), positions him to advance OpenAI's mission of developing artificial general intelligence while navigating complex commercial partnerships and global policy considerations. His commitment to AI safety, as demonstrated in OpenAI's founding mission, coupled with his willingness to testify before Congress on AI regulation, suggests continued focus on responsible development of transformative technologies.