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| name        = Sam Altman
| name        = Sam Altman
| birth_name  = Samuel Harris Altman
| birth_name  = Samuel Harris Altman
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1985|04|22}}
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1985|4|22}}
| birth_place  = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| birth_place  = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| nationality  = American
| nationality  = American
| education    = [[Stanford University]] (attended, did not graduate)
| education    = [[Stanford University]] (dropped out)
| occupation  = {{flatlist|
| occupation  = {{flatlist|
* Business executive
* Technology executive
* Entrepreneur
* Entrepreneur
* Investor
* Investor
}}
}}
| known_for    = CEO of [[OpenAI]], President of [[Y Combinator]], Co-founder of [[Loopt]]
| known_for    = CEO of [[OpenAI]], President of [[Y Combinator]], Co-founder of [[Loopt]]
| title        = Chief Executive Officer of OpenAI
| children    = 1
| children    = 1
| awards      = Time "Architects of AI" (Person of the Year, 2025)
| website      = {{URL|blog.samaltman.com}}
| website      = {{URL|blog.samaltman.com}}
}}
}}


'''Samuel Harris Altman''' (born April 22, 1985) is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and investor who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of [[OpenAI]], an artificial intelligence research organization, since 2019. Under his leadership, OpenAI launched [[ChatGPT]] in November 2022, a product that became one of the fastest-growing consumer applications in history and helped catalyze a global wave of commercial interest in artificial intelligence. Before leading OpenAI, Altman co-founded [[Loopt]], a geosocial networking startup, while still in his teens, and went on to serve as president of [[Y Combinator]], one of Silicon Valley's most influential startup accelerators, from 2014 to 2019. In November 2023, Altman was briefly removed from his position at OpenAI by the organization's board of directors, only to be reinstated five days later following an outpouring of support from employees and investors. He has also served as chairman of clean energy companies [[Helion Energy]] and [[Oklo]]. In 2025, Altman was named among the "Architects of AI" for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'s}} Person of the Year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/09/sam-altman-openai-chatgpt/ |publisher=The Washington Post |date=2023-04-09 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman of OpenAI: The Man Behind ChatGPT |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html |work=The New York Times |date=2023-03-31 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
'''Samuel Harris Altman''' (born April 22, 1985) is an American technology executive, entrepreneur, and investor who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of [[OpenAI]], the artificial intelligence research organization, since 2019. Under his leadership, OpenAI launched [[ChatGPT]] in November 2022, a product that brought large language models into mainstream public awareness and catalyzed a global wave of investment and development in artificial intelligence. Before leading OpenAI, Altman built his reputation in [[Silicon Valley]] first as a startup founder—co-founding the mobile geolocation company [[Loopt]] while still a teenager—and then as a prominent investor and accelerator leader, serving as president of [[Y Combinator]] from 2014 to 2019.<ref name="newyorker">{{cite news |last=Friend |first=Tad |date=2016-10-10 |title=Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny |work=The New Yorker |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In November 2023, Altman was briefly ousted as CEO of OpenAI by the organization's board of directors, an event that drew intense public and media scrutiny before he was reinstated five days later amid pressure from employees and investors.<ref name="wapo">{{cite news |last=De Vynck |first=Gerrit |date=2023-04-09 |title=Sam Altman, OpenAI and ChatGPT |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/09/sam-altman-openai-chatgpt/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Beyond artificial intelligence, Altman has pursued investments in clean energy, serving as chairman of the fusion energy company [[Helion Energy]] and the nuclear technology company [[Oklo]], positions from which he stepped down in April 2025. In 2025, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named Altman among the "Architects of AI" as part of its Person of the Year designation.


== Early Life ==
== Early Life ==


Samuel Harris Altman was born on April 22, 1985, in [[Chicago, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny |publisher=The New Yorker |date=2016-10-10 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> He grew up in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], where he was raised in a Jewish family. Altman developed an early interest in technology and computers. As profiled extensively in ''The New Yorker'', Altman demonstrated entrepreneurial inclinations from a young age, gravitating toward programming and the possibilities afforded by the emerging internet era.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517010534/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny |publisher=The New Yorker (archived) |date=2016-10-10 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Samuel Harris Altman was born on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois.<ref name="newyorker" /> He grew up in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], where he was raised in a Jewish family.<ref name="nyt-profile">{{cite news |last=Metz |first=Cade |date=2023-03-31 |title=Sam Altman, OpenAI and ChatGPT |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Altman developed an early interest in computers and technology. He received his first computer, a [[Macintosh]], at the age of eight, an event he has cited as formative in sparking his interest in programming and technology.<ref name="newyorker" />


Altman received his first computer at the age of eight, an event that, by his own account, shaped the trajectory of his interests and ambitions. He attended [[John Burroughs School]], a private preparatory school in St. Louis. During his high school years, he came out as gay, a fact he has discussed publicly in subsequent interviews and writings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny |publisher=The New Yorker |date=2016-10-10 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Altman attended [[John Burroughs School]], a private preparatory school in the St. Louis area. He came out as gay during high school, a fact he has discussed publicly in subsequent years.<ref name="newyorker" /> His early exposure to both technology and entrepreneurship helped shape a trajectory that would lead him to Silicon Valley shortly after graduating from high school.


His upbringing in the Midwest, outside of the established technology corridors of Silicon Valley or the East Coast, informed what would become a career-long interest in the geographic decentralization of innovation and the belief that talented founders could emerge from anywhere. This perspective later influenced his work at Y Combinator, where he advocated for funding startups from a broad range of backgrounds and locations.
A 2016 profile in ''The New Yorker'' described Altman as possessing an early confidence in his abilities and a conviction that technology could be used to address large-scale problems.<ref name="newyorker" /> His upbringing in the Midwest, far from the established technology hubs of California, did not deter him from pursuing a career in the industry; by his late teens, he was already planning his entry into the startup world.


== Education ==
== Education ==


Altman enrolled at [[Stanford University]], where he studied computer science. He attended Stanford for two years before dropping out in 2005 to pursue entrepreneurial ventures full-time.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2014 |title=Sam Altman Interview |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/interviews/a30763/sam-altman-interview-2014/ |work=Esquire |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> His decision to leave Stanford placed him within a well-known Silicon Valley tradition of technology entrepreneurs who departed elite universities to launch startups, a path previously taken by figures such as [[Bill Gates]], [[Steve Jobs]], and [[Mark Zuckerberg]]. Altman has spoken publicly about the trade-offs of his decision, noting in interviews that while he valued his time at Stanford, the opportunity to build a company proved more compelling than completing a degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman Interview 2014 (archived) |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220145855/http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/interviews/a30763/sam-altman-interview-2014/ |publisher=Esquire (archived) |date=2014 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Altman enrolled at [[Stanford University]] in California, where he studied computer science.<ref name="newyorker" /> However, he did not complete his degree. After two years at Stanford, Altman dropped out to co-found Loopt, a mobile geolocation startup, in 2005.<ref name="esquire">{{cite news |title=Sam Altman Interview |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/interviews/a30763/sam-altman-interview-2014/ |work=Esquire |date=2014 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The decision to leave Stanford placed Altman in a lineage of notable Silicon Valley figures—including [[Bill Gates]], [[Steve Jobs]], and [[Mark Zuckerberg]]—who left elite universities to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Altman has spoken about the decision as a calculated risk, motivated by the opportunity he saw in the nascent smartphone application market.<ref name="newyorker" />


== Career ==
== Career ==
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=== Loopt (2005–2012) ===
=== Loopt (2005–2012) ===


After leaving Stanford in 2005, Altman co-founded '''Loopt''', a location-based social networking application for smartphones. Loopt was among the first cohort of startups funded by [[Y Combinator]], the seed-stage accelerator founded by [[Paul Graham (programmer)|Paul Graham]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Y Combinator People |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625021419/http://ycombinator.com/people.html |publisher=Y Combinator (archived) |date=2014 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The company developed technology that allowed users to share their real-time locations with friends through their mobile phones, a concept that predated many of the geolocation features later incorporated into mainstream social media platforms.
In 2005, at the age of 19, Altman co-founded [[Loopt]], a smartphone-based geosocial networking application that allowed users to share their location with friends and discover nearby businesses and events.<ref name="loopt-exec">{{cite web |title=Loopt Executive Team |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216022416/http://www.loopt.com/about/company/executives/ |publisher=Loopt |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Loopt was one of the first companies funded by [[Y Combinator]], the influential Silicon Valley startup accelerator founded by [[Paul Graham (programmer)|Paul Graham]].<ref name="newyorker" /> The company was part of Y Combinator's inaugural Summer 2005 batch, a cohort that helped establish the accelerator model that would become a dominant feature of the startup ecosystem.


Loopt raised more than US$30 million in venture capital over the course of its operation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny |publisher=The New Yorker |date=2016-10-10 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The company attracted attention both for its technology and for Altman's youth — he was only 19 when he founded it. Despite its early promise, Loopt struggled to achieve widespread consumer adoption in a competitive and rapidly evolving mobile landscape. In March 2012, Loopt was acquired by the prepaid debit card company [[Green Dot Corporation]] in a deal reported to be worth approximately $43.4 million.<ref>{{cite news |title=Startup Loopt Lands With Green Dot |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313052152/http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/03/09/startup-loopt-lands-with-green-dot/ |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=2012-03-09 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> The acquisition was generally regarded as a modest outcome given the capital the company had raised, though the experience provided Altman with substantial operational and fundraising knowledge that would prove useful in his subsequent career.
Over the course of its existence, Loopt raised more than US$30 million in venture capital funding.<ref name="newyorker" /> The company attracted investment from notable Silicon Valley venture capital firms and operated during a period when location-based mobile services were an emerging category. Loopt was available on multiple mobile platforms and partnered with several major U.S. wireless carriers to distribute its application.
 
Despite the significant capital raised, Loopt struggled to achieve the user growth necessary to compete in the increasingly crowded location-based services market, which included rivals such as [[Foursquare (website)|Foursquare]] and [[Gowalla]]. In March 2012, Loopt was acquired by the prepaid debit card company [[Green Dot Corporation]] for approximately US$43.4 million.<ref name="wsj-loopt">{{cite news |title=Startup Loopt Lands With Green Dot |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/03/09/startup-loopt-lands-with-green-dot/ |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=2012-03-09 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> While the acquisition did not represent a major financial return relative to the capital invested, the experience of founding and running Loopt gave Altman direct operational experience in the startup world and deepened his connections within Silicon Valley's investment and entrepreneurial communities.


=== Y Combinator (2011–2019) ===
=== Y Combinator (2011–2019) ===


In 2011, Altman joined [[Y Combinator]] as a part-time partner. His involvement deepened over the following years, and in 2014, he was appointed president of Y Combinator, succeeding the organization's co-founder, Paul Graham.<ref>{{cite web |title=Y Combinator People |url=http://ycombinator.com/people.html |publisher=Y Combinator |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman Interview |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/interviews/a30763/sam-altman-interview-2014/ |work=Esquire |date=2014 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Following the sale of Loopt, Altman became increasingly involved with Y Combinator. In 2011, he began working with the accelerator as a part-time partner.<ref name="newyorker" /> His role expanded over the following years, and in 2014, Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham selected Altman to succeed him as president of the organization.<ref name="entrepreneur">{{cite web |title=Sam Altman Named President of Y Combinator |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222150644/http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244508 |publisher=Entrepreneur |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref name="yc-people">{{cite web |title=Y Combinator People |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625021419/http://ycombinator.com/people.html |publisher=Y Combinator |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
 
As president of Y Combinator, Altman oversaw a significant expansion of the organization's activities and influence. Under his leadership, Y Combinator increased the size of its batches—the cohorts of startups admitted to the program each cycle—and broadened its focus to include a wider range of industries and company stages. Altman helped establish the YC Continuity Fund, a growth-stage investment vehicle that allowed Y Combinator to continue backing its most successful portfolio companies as they matured beyond the accelerator's traditional early-stage focus.<ref name="newyorker" />
 
A lengthy profile published in ''The New Yorker'' in October 2016 described Altman as one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, detailing his role in shaping Y Combinator and his broader ambitions for technology's role in society.<ref name="newyorker" /> The article described his wide-ranging interests, including in areas such as universal basic income, nuclear energy, and the long-term risks and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.
 
During his tenure at Y Combinator, Altman also became known for his personal blog, where he published essays on topics including startup strategy, management, and technology trends.<ref name="blog">{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Blog |url=https://blog.samaltman.com/ |publisher=Sam Altman |date= |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> His writing and public commentary helped establish him as a thought leader in the startup community and extended his influence beyond Y Combinator's direct portfolio.


As president, Altman oversaw a significant expansion of Y Combinator's activities. He increased the size of its biannual cohorts of startups, broadened the types of companies the accelerator funded, and established new programs, including the YC Growth Fund and YC Continuity, which allowed Y Combinator to invest in later-stage companies alongside its traditional seed-stage funding. Under Altman's tenure, Y Combinator solidified its position as one of the most prominent and influential startup accelerators in the world, funding companies across sectors including technology, biotech, hardware, and nonprofit ventures.
A 2014 interview in ''Esquire'' magazine profiled Altman as a rising figure in technology, highlighting his rapid ascent from young entrepreneur to one of the most prominent gatekeepers in Silicon Valley's startup ecosystem.<ref name="esquire" /> The article noted his involvement in discussions around preparedness for catastrophic events, a theme that would recur in subsequent profiles.<ref name="bi-pandemic">{{cite news |title=Sam Altman on Pandemics, Apocalypse, and Life Extension |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-pandemic-apocalypse-immortality-life-extension-openai-2023-4 |work=Business Insider |date=2023-04 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Altman also used his position to advocate for issues he considered important to the technology ecosystem, including universal basic income, nuclear energy, and preparing for pandemic risks. A 2016 profile in ''The New Yorker'' described his broad range of interests and his efforts to position Y Combinator as more than a conventional accelerator, extending into policy and research areas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny |publisher=The New Yorker |date=2016-10-10 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Altman served as president of Y Combinator until 2019, when he departed to focus full-time on leading OpenAI.


A ''Business Insider'' profile noted that Altman had a long-standing interest in existential risks, including pandemics and questions related to life extension and human mortality, subjects he discussed openly and that influenced his thinking about the societal implications of advanced technology.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman on Pandemic, Apocalypse, and Immortality |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-pandemic-apocalypse-immortality-life-extension-openai-2023-4 |work=Business Insider |date=2023-04 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
=== OpenAI (2015–present) ===


Altman stepped down from his role as president of Y Combinator in 2019 to devote his full attention to OpenAI.
==== Founding and early involvement ====


=== OpenAI (2019–present) ===
OpenAI was founded in December 2015 as a nonprofit artificial intelligence research organization. Altman was one of the co-founders, alongside [[Elon Musk]], [[Peter Thiel]], [[Reid Hoffman]], and others.<ref name="nyt-profile" /> The organization's stated mission was to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) would benefit humanity as a whole. Altman's involvement in OpenAI from its inception reflected his long-standing interest in AI and its potential societal implications, themes he had explored during his time at Y Combinator.<ref name="newyorker" />


==== Founding and Early Involvement ====
In its early years, OpenAI operated as a research laboratory, publishing papers and releasing tools while recruiting top researchers in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The organization attracted significant philanthropic funding and positioned itself as a counterweight to the concentration of AI capabilities within large technology corporations.


OpenAI was founded in December 2015 as a nonprofit artificial intelligence research laboratory. The organization's stated mission was to ensure that [[artificial general intelligence]] (AGI) would benefit humanity broadly. Altman was among the co-founders and early backers of the initiative. In 2019, he assumed the role of CEO, transitioning from his position at Y Combinator to lead the organization full-time.
==== Transition to CEO ====


Under Altman's leadership, OpenAI underwent a significant structural transformation. The organization created a "capped-profit" subsidiary in 2019, designed to attract the large amounts of capital needed to fund advanced AI research while maintaining alignment with the nonprofit's mission. This structure allowed OpenAI to secure a major investment from [[Microsoft]], which became its largest financial backer and cloud computing partner.
In 2019, Altman became CEO of OpenAI, coinciding with a significant structural change within the organization. OpenAI transitioned from a purely nonprofit entity to a "capped-profit" structure, creating a for-profit subsidiary—OpenAI LP—that could attract commercial investment while theoretically maintaining the nonprofit's oversight and mission orientation.<ref name="wapo" /> This structural shift was driven in part by the enormous computational costs associated with training state-of-the-art AI models, which required financial resources beyond what philanthropic donations alone could sustain.


==== Launch of ChatGPT and the AI Boom ====
Under the capped-profit model, investors in OpenAI LP could receive returns up to a specified cap, after which additional profits would revert to the nonprofit parent. The arrangement attracted a major investment from [[Microsoft]], which committed US$1 billion to OpenAI in 2019 and subsequently made additional multi-billion-dollar investments, establishing a deep commercial and technical partnership between the two organizations.<ref name="nyt-profile" />


On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released [[ChatGPT]], a conversational AI chatbot built on the company's [[GPT-3.5]] large language model. The product attracted an estimated 100 million users within its first two months, making it one of the fastest-growing consumer applications ever launched. ChatGPT's release is credited with catalyzing widespread public and commercial interest in generative AI, a phenomenon that has been referred to as the "AI boom."<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman of OpenAI: The Man Behind ChatGPT |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html |work=The New York Times |date=2023-03-31 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/09/sam-altman-openai-chatgpt/ |publisher=The Washington Post |date=2023-04-09 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
==== Launch of ChatGPT and the AI boom ====


Following the launch, Altman became one of the most prominent public figures in the technology industry. He embarked on a global tour in 2023, meeting with heads of state, policymakers, and technology communities in dozens of countries to discuss the implications of AI and advocate for international regulatory frameworks. He testified before the [[United States Senate]] in May 2023, calling for the regulation of AI systems and proposing the creation of a licensing agency for advanced AI models.
The release of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, marked a turning point for both OpenAI and the broader artificial intelligence industry. ChatGPT, based on OpenAI's GPT-3.5 large language model, was a conversational AI system that demonstrated a capacity for generating human-like text across a wide range of tasks, from answering questions and writing code to composing essays and creative fiction. The product attracted an estimated 100 million users within two months of its launch, making it one of the fastest-growing consumer technology products in history.<ref name="wapo" /><ref name="nyt-profile" />


As of February 2026, Altman has continued to serve as the public face of OpenAI and has made extensive public statements about the trajectory of AI development. In a visit to [[IIT Delhi]], he stated that AI would "automate the whole economy" and advised students to remain current with AI tools as the technology continued to advance.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman says AI will 'automate the whole economy', shares message for students at IIT Delhi |url=https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/sam-altman-says-ai-will-automate-the-whole-economy-shares-message-for-students-at-iit-delhi-11771849044415.html |work=Mint |date=2026-02-23 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> During an appearance at the Express Adda event in New Delhi, Altman discussed topics including the race toward AGI, his rivalry with [[Elon Musk]], concerns about job losses, and competition for talent in Silicon Valley.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman at Express Adda Highlights: OpenAI CEO on AGI race, Musk rivalry, job losses, and Silicon Valley talent wars |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/sam-altman-at-express-adda-live-updates-open-ai-ceo-interview-anant-goenka-10542468/ |work=The Indian Express |date=2026-02-21 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
The success of ChatGPT propelled Altman into a level of public prominence unusual for a technology executive outside of the consumer electronics or social media sectors. He became a frequent interlocutor for policymakers, journalists, and industry leaders seeking to understand the implications of rapidly advancing AI capabilities. His public statements during this period combined enthusiasm for AI's potential benefits with acknowledgments of its risks, including to labor markets, information integrity, and societal stability.<ref name="nyt-profile" />


Altman has also publicly commented on the trend of technology companies citing AI as a reason for workforce reductions. In February 2026, he suggested that some companies were "AI-washing" their layoffs — using artificial intelligence as a justification for job cuts that may have been planned for other reasons.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman thinks tech companies are 'AI-washing' their layoffs |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/layoffs-sam-altman-ai-washing-21647451.php |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2026-02-22 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> He separately compared the energy consumption of AI training to human development, arguing that "training a human takes 20 years of food" and that discussions about the power requirements of AI systems should be viewed in that broader context.<ref>{{cite news |title='Training A Human Takes 20 Years Of Food': Sam Altman On How Much Power AI Consumes |url=https://www.news18.com/world/training-a-human-takes-20-years-of-food-sam-altman-on-how-much-power-ai-consumes-ws-kl-9922309.html |work=News18 |date=2026-02-21 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
The release of ChatGPT also triggered a wave of investment and competition across the technology industry, with major companies including [[Google]], [[Meta Platforms|Meta]], and [[Amazon]] accelerating their own AI development programs. This period has been described as the "AI boom," and Altman has been identified as one of its central figures.<ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-21 |title=People Loved the Dot-Com Boom. The A.I. Boom, Not So Much. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/technology/ai-boom-backlash.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


==== November 2023 Ouster and Reinstatement ====
==== Board crisis and reinstatement (November 2023) ====


On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's board of directors announced that it had removed Altman as CEO. In a public statement, the board said it had lost "confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI." The announcement did not specify the precise reasons for the decision and was met with immediate and widespread shock across the technology industry.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman of OpenAI: The Man Behind ChatGPT |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html |work=The New York Times |date=2023-03-31 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's board of directors abruptly removed Altman from his position as CEO. In a public statement, the board cited a loss of "confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI" but did not initially provide specific details about the reasons for the decision.<ref name="wapo" /> The announcement came as a surprise to much of OpenAI's staff, its investors, and the broader technology industry.


In the days following the announcement, the majority of OpenAI's employees — reported to be more than 700 of approximately 770 staff members — signed an open letter threatening to resign unless Altman was reinstated and the board reformed. Microsoft, OpenAI's largest investor, also publicly expressed support for Altman, and Microsoft CEO [[Satya Nadella]] initially announced that Altman would join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research unit. However, negotiations between the parties continued, and on November 22, 2023, five days after his removal, OpenAI announced that Altman would return as CEO. As part of the resolution, the organization formed a new board of directors, replacing the members who had voted to remove him.
The removal triggered an immediate and intense backlash. A large majority of OpenAI's employees signed an open letter threatening to resign if Altman was not reinstated and if the board members who had voted for his removal did not step down. Microsoft, as OpenAI's largest investor and commercial partner, publicly expressed support for Altman. Reports at the time indicated that Microsoft CEO [[Satya Nadella]] offered Altman a position leading a new advanced AI research team at Microsoft, though Altman ultimately did not take that role.<ref name="nyt-profile" />


The episode drew intense media attention and raised questions about the governance structures of nonprofit-controlled AI organizations, the relationship between OpenAI's mission and its commercial operations, and the concentration of influence in the hands of a small number of individuals in the AI sector.
After five days of intense negotiations, Altman was reinstated as CEO of OpenAI on November 22, 2023. As part of the resolution, the board of directors was restructured, with several of the members who had voted for Altman's removal departing and new members being appointed. The episode drew widespread attention and commentary about the governance challenges inherent in OpenAI's unusual nonprofit-over-for-profit structure, the concentration of power in AI organizations, and the tensions between safety-oriented and commercial imperatives in AI development.


==== OpenClaw and Market Impact ====
==== Recent developments ====


In February 2026, OpenAI's virtual AI agent system, OpenClaw, became a subject of significant public discussion. The system, which is designed to perform complex autonomous tasks, was reported to have contributed to a $2 trillion sell-off in software stocks on Wall Street, raising questions about the security implications of advanced AI agents and their potential to disrupt existing technology markets.<ref>{{cite news |title=OpenClaw Might Be a Security Nightmare for Sam Altman |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-02-23/openclaw-may-be-a-security-nightmare-for-openai-s-sam-altman |work=Bloomberg |date=2026-02-23 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
As of early 2026, Altman continues to serve as CEO of OpenAI. He has remained a prominent public voice on the trajectory of artificial intelligence, making appearances at industry conferences, policy forums, and media events globally. In February 2026, Altman spoke at an event hosted by ''The Indian Express'' in New Delhi, where he discussed topics including the race toward artificial general intelligence, competition within the AI industry, and the potential impact of AI on employment.<ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-21 |title=Sam Altman at Express Adda Highlights |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/sam-altman-at-express-adda-live-updates-open-ai-ceo-interview-anant-goenka-10542468/ |work=The Indian Express |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> During the same India visit, he addressed students at IIT Delhi, stating his view that AI would "automate the whole economy" and advising students to remain current with AI tools and their applications.<ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-23 |title=Sam Altman says AI will 'automate the whole economy', shares message for students at IIT Delhi |url=https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/sam-altman-says-ai-will-automate-the-whole-economy-shares-message-for-students-at-iit-delhi-11771849044415.html |work=Mint |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


=== Energy Investments: Helion Energy and Oklo ===
In February 2026, Altman publicly commented on what he described as "AI-washing" by technology companies—the practice of attributing layoffs to the adoption of artificial intelligence when the actual reasons may be more complex or unrelated to AI implementation. He suggested that some companies were using AI as a convenient justification for workforce reductions.<ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-22 |title=Sam Altman thinks tech companies are 'AI-washing' their layoffs |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/layoffs-sam-altman-ai-washing-21647451.php |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-21 |title='Lay-offs': AI founder says quiet part out loud |url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/trends/ai-washing-openai-ceo-sam-altman-appears-to-confirm-sneaky-job-loss-trend/news-story/f4da1e473ecc7da7ab4a2b47fcae1227 |work=News.com.au |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Beyond his work in artificial intelligence, Altman has made substantial personal investments in nuclear and fusion energy companies. He has served as chairman of [[Helion Energy]], a fusion power startup that aims to build commercial fusion reactors, and [[Oklo]], a company developing small modular fission reactors. In February 2026, ''Forbes'' reported that Altman's investment in Helion Energy was "getting hotter than the sun," as the company moved closer to commercialization of its fusion technology.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman's Fusion Power Bet Just Got Hotter Than The Sun |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2026/02/20/sam-altmans-fusion-power-bet-just-got-hotter-than-the-sun/ |work=Forbes |date=2026-02-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Altman has also commented publicly on the energy requirements of large-scale AI systems. In remarks reported in February 2026, he compared the energy and resources required to train AI models to the resources consumed in human development, stating that "training a human takes 20 years of food," and arguing that discussions about AI's energy consumption should be considered in that broader context.<ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-21 |title='Training A Human Takes 20 Years Of Food': Sam Altman On How Much Power AI Consumes |url=https://www.news18.com/world/training-a-human-takes-20-years-of-food-sam-altman-on-how-much-power-ai-consumes-ws-kl-9922309.html |work=News18 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


Altman has framed his interest in energy as closely connected to the demands of AI. As AI models become larger and require more computational resources, the energy infrastructure needed to power them has become a significant practical and political issue. Altman has argued that breakthroughs in fusion and advanced nuclear energy are essential to supporting the long-term growth of AI while mitigating environmental impact. He stepped down from his chairmanship roles at both Helion Energy and Oklo in April 2025.
=== Clean energy investments ===
 
Outside of his role at OpenAI, Altman has pursued investments in clean energy technologies. He has served as chairman of [[Helion Energy]], a company developing fusion power technology, and [[Oklo]], a company focused on advanced nuclear fission reactors. Helion Energy has been working to develop a commercially viable fusion power plant, and Altman's personal investment in the company has been described as significant.<ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-20 |title=Sam Altman's Fusion Power Bet Just Got Hotter Than The Sun |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2026/02/20/sam-altmans-fusion-power-bet-just-got-hotter-than-the-sun/ |work=Forbes |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Altman stepped down from his chairman positions at both Helion Energy and Oklo in April 2025.
 
His interest in energy has been linked to the growing power demands of AI data centers and to a broader personal conviction about the importance of abundant, clean energy for long-term economic and technological progress.<ref name="newyorker" />


== Personal Life ==
== Personal Life ==


Altman is openly gay, a fact he has discussed in multiple public interviews and in writing. In a 2014 interview with ''Esquire'', he spoke about his experience as a gay man in the technology industry.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman Interview |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/interviews/a30763/sam-altman-interview-2014/ |work=Esquire |date=2014 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> He has one child.
Altman is openly gay, a fact he has discussed in public interviews over the course of his career.<ref name="newyorker" /> He came out during high school in St. Louis.<ref name="newyorker" /> He has one child.


Altman has written publicly about topics including survivalism and existential risk preparedness. A ''Business Insider'' profile noted his interest in scenarios involving pandemics and civilizational collapse, subjects that he has discussed with characteristic directness.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman on Pandemic, Apocalypse, and Immortality |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-pandemic-apocalypse-immortality-life-extension-openai-2023-4 |work=Business Insider |date=2023-04 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Altman has spoken publicly about interests beyond technology, including in survivalism and preparedness for catastrophic scenarios. A 2023 ''Business Insider'' profile noted his interest in topics including pandemics, societal collapse, and life extension technologies.<ref name="bi-pandemic" /> In a 2016 ''New Yorker'' profile, Altman discussed having stockpiled supplies—including gold, guns, antibiotics, and batteries—in case of a catastrophic event, as well as an arrangement with a fellow Silicon Valley figure to travel to a designated safe location in the event of a pandemic.<ref name="newyorker" />


He maintains a personal blog at blog.samaltman.com, where he publishes essays on technology, startups, and societal issues.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Blog |url=https://blog.samaltman.com/ |publisher=Sam Altman |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
Altman maintains a personal blog where he writes about technology, startups, and societal issues.<ref name="blog" />
 
Altman has attended the [[Bilderberg Meeting]], an annual private conference of political leaders, business executives, and academics. He was listed as a participant at the 2022 meeting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Participants 2022 |url=https://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/meetings/meeting-2022/participants-2022 |publisher=Bilderberg Meetings |date=2022 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> In 2023, he attended the Bilderberg Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, where artificial intelligence was among the topics discussed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bilderberg meeting: group gathers in Lisbon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/20/bilderberg-meeting-group-lisbon-kissinger |work=The Guardian |date=2023-05-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bilderberg: OpenAI, Microsoft, Google Join AI Talks at Secretive Meeting |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/bilderberg-openai-microsoft-google-join-ai-talks-at-secretive-meeting.html |work=CNBC |date=2023-05-18 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== Recognition ==
== Recognition ==


Altman has received significant public attention and recognition for his role in the development and commercialization of artificial intelligence. In 2025, ''Time'' magazine named him among the "Architects of AI" as part of its Person of the Year designation, reflecting his centrality to the global AI industry.
Altman has been recognized by several publications and organizations for his influence in the technology sector. In 2025, ''Time'' magazine named him among the "Architects of AI" as part of its Person of the Year coverage, reflecting his central role in the development and commercialization of artificial intelligence technologies.


''The New Yorker'' profiled him extensively in a 2016 feature titled "Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny," which examined his ambitions, his leadership of Y Combinator, and his broader vision for technology and society.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny |publisher=The New Yorker |date=2016-10-10 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref> Major profiles have also appeared in ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', ''Business Insider'', ''Esquire'', and ''Entrepreneur'', among others.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sam Altman Profile |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222150644/http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244508 |publisher=Entrepreneur (archived) |date=2015 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
He has been a participant in the [[Bilderberg Meeting]], attending the 2016 and 2022 gatherings of the annual invitation-only conference of political leaders, business executives, and intellectuals.<ref>{{cite web |title=Participants 2022 |url=https://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/meetings/meeting-2022/participants-2022 |publisher=Bilderberg Meetings |date=2022 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2023-05-18 |title=Bilderberg: OpenAI, Microsoft, Google join AI talks at secretive meeting |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/bilderberg-openai-microsoft-google-join-ai-talks-at-secretive-meeting.html |work=CNBC |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2023-05-20 |title=Bilderberg meeting group gathers in Lisbon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/20/bilderberg-meeting-group-lisbon-kissinger |work=The Guardian |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


A February 2026 article in ''The New York Times'' examined the public's mixed response to the AI boom, noting that tech leaders including Altman have begun to grapple with what the article described as "the public's underwhelming enthusiasm for their plans to remake the world with artificial intelligence."<ref>{{cite news |title=People Loved the Dot-Com Boom. The A.I. Boom, Not So Much. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/technology/ai-boom-backlash.html |work=The New York Times |date=2026-02-21 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
His estimated net worth, as reported by ''Forbes'', is approximately US$2.1 billion, derived primarily from his personal investments in technology and energy companies rather than from a salary at OpenAI, which for many years operated as a nonprofit.
 
His net worth has been estimated at approximately US$2.1 billion by ''Forbes''.


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==


As of 2026, Altman's legacy is closely tied to the development and proliferation of large language models and generative AI systems. The release of ChatGPT under his leadership at OpenAI is credited with transforming AI from a primarily academic and industrial concern into a mainstream consumer technology, prompting a global reexamination of education, employment, intellectual property, and national security policies.
Altman's career has spanned three distinct phases of Silicon Valley's evolution: the mobile application era of the late 2000s, the rise of startup accelerators and seed-stage venture capital in the 2010s, and the emergence of large-scale artificial intelligence in the 2020s. His trajectory from Y Combinator startup founder to Y Combinator president to CEO of one of the most closely watched AI organizations in the world has placed him at the center of debates about the development, governance, and societal impact of artificial intelligence.


His career trajectory — from a teenage startup founder, to the head of one of Silicon Valley's most important accelerators, to the CEO of the organization at the center of the AI industry — has made him one of the most prominent figures in the early 21st-century technology sector. His November 2023 ouster and rapid reinstatement at OpenAI became a defining episode in the broader debate about AI governance, the balance between commercial imperatives and safety concerns, and the power dynamics within the organizations developing the most advanced AI systems.
The launch of ChatGPT under Altman's leadership at OpenAI is considered a pivotal moment in the commercialization of AI, comparable in cultural impact to the introduction of the iPhone or the World Wide Web in terms of bringing a previously specialized technology into mass public use.<ref name="wapo" /> The product's success reshaped public discourse about AI and prompted governments around the world to accelerate regulatory efforts related to AI safety, intellectual property, and labor market impacts.


Altman's investments in fusion and nuclear energy through Helion Energy and Oklo reflect a broader thesis that the future of AI is inseparable from the future of energy production, a position that has gained increasing attention as the computational demands of AI training and inference have grown.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sam Altman's Fusion Power Bet Just Got Hotter Than The Sun |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2026/02/20/sam-altmans-fusion-power-bet-just-got-hotter-than-the-sun/ |work=Forbes |date=2026-02-20 |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>
The November 2023 board crisis at OpenAI, and Altman's rapid reinstatement, highlighted the governance challenges facing organizations at the intersection of nonprofit mission-driven research and commercial technology development. The episode prompted broader discussions in the technology industry and among policymakers about how organizations developing potentially transformative AI systems should be structured and governed.


His public commentary on the societal implications of AI — from labor market displacement to the potential for AGI — has positioned him as a central, if sometimes controversial, voice in ongoing debates about the trajectory of the technology. Whether OpenAI's stated mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity will be realized remains an open question, and Altman's leadership of the organization continues to be the subject of significant scrutiny from technologists, policymakers, and the public.
As of 2026, Altman remains one of the most prominent figures in the global conversation about artificial intelligence, its commercial applications, and its implications for the future of work, energy, and society.<ref>{{cite news |date=2026-02-21 |title=People Loved the Dot-Com Boom. The A.I. Boom, Not So Much. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/technology/ai-boom-backlash.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2026-02-23}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
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Latest revision as of 01:43, 24 February 2026


Sam Altman
BornSamuel Harris Altman
22 4, 1985
BirthplaceChicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationTemplate:Flatlist
Known forCEO of OpenAI, President of Y Combinator, Co-founder of Loopt
EducationStanford University (dropped out)
Children1
Website[[blog.samaltman.com blog.samaltman.com] Official site]

Samuel Harris Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American technology executive, entrepreneur, and investor who has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research organization, since 2019. Under his leadership, OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, a product that brought large language models into mainstream public awareness and catalyzed a global wave of investment and development in artificial intelligence. Before leading OpenAI, Altman built his reputation in Silicon Valley first as a startup founder—co-founding the mobile geolocation company Loopt while still a teenager—and then as a prominent investor and accelerator leader, serving as president of Y Combinator from 2014 to 2019.[1] In November 2023, Altman was briefly ousted as CEO of OpenAI by the organization's board of directors, an event that drew intense public and media scrutiny before he was reinstated five days later amid pressure from employees and investors.[2] Beyond artificial intelligence, Altman has pursued investments in clean energy, serving as chairman of the fusion energy company Helion Energy and the nuclear technology company Oklo, positions from which he stepped down in April 2025. In 2025, Time named Altman among the "Architects of AI" as part of its Person of the Year designation.

Early Life

Samuel Harris Altman was born on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois.[1] He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was raised in a Jewish family.[3] Altman developed an early interest in computers and technology. He received his first computer, a Macintosh, at the age of eight, an event he has cited as formative in sparking his interest in programming and technology.[1]

Altman attended John Burroughs School, a private preparatory school in the St. Louis area. He came out as gay during high school, a fact he has discussed publicly in subsequent years.[1] His early exposure to both technology and entrepreneurship helped shape a trajectory that would lead him to Silicon Valley shortly after graduating from high school.

A 2016 profile in The New Yorker described Altman as possessing an early confidence in his abilities and a conviction that technology could be used to address large-scale problems.[1] His upbringing in the Midwest, far from the established technology hubs of California, did not deter him from pursuing a career in the industry; by his late teens, he was already planning his entry into the startup world.

Education

Altman enrolled at Stanford University in California, where he studied computer science.[1] However, he did not complete his degree. After two years at Stanford, Altman dropped out to co-found Loopt, a mobile geolocation startup, in 2005.[4] The decision to leave Stanford placed Altman in a lineage of notable Silicon Valley figures—including Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg—who left elite universities to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. Altman has spoken about the decision as a calculated risk, motivated by the opportunity he saw in the nascent smartphone application market.[1]

Career

Loopt (2005–2012)

In 2005, at the age of 19, Altman co-founded Loopt, a smartphone-based geosocial networking application that allowed users to share their location with friends and discover nearby businesses and events.[5] Loopt was one of the first companies funded by Y Combinator, the influential Silicon Valley startup accelerator founded by Paul Graham.[1] The company was part of Y Combinator's inaugural Summer 2005 batch, a cohort that helped establish the accelerator model that would become a dominant feature of the startup ecosystem.

Over the course of its existence, Loopt raised more than US$30 million in venture capital funding.[1] The company attracted investment from notable Silicon Valley venture capital firms and operated during a period when location-based mobile services were an emerging category. Loopt was available on multiple mobile platforms and partnered with several major U.S. wireless carriers to distribute its application.

Despite the significant capital raised, Loopt struggled to achieve the user growth necessary to compete in the increasingly crowded location-based services market, which included rivals such as Foursquare and Gowalla. In March 2012, Loopt was acquired by the prepaid debit card company Green Dot Corporation for approximately US$43.4 million.[6] While the acquisition did not represent a major financial return relative to the capital invested, the experience of founding and running Loopt gave Altman direct operational experience in the startup world and deepened his connections within Silicon Valley's investment and entrepreneurial communities.

Y Combinator (2011–2019)

Following the sale of Loopt, Altman became increasingly involved with Y Combinator. In 2011, he began working with the accelerator as a part-time partner.[1] His role expanded over the following years, and in 2014, Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham selected Altman to succeed him as president of the organization.[7][8]

As president of Y Combinator, Altman oversaw a significant expansion of the organization's activities and influence. Under his leadership, Y Combinator increased the size of its batches—the cohorts of startups admitted to the program each cycle—and broadened its focus to include a wider range of industries and company stages. Altman helped establish the YC Continuity Fund, a growth-stage investment vehicle that allowed Y Combinator to continue backing its most successful portfolio companies as they matured beyond the accelerator's traditional early-stage focus.[1]

A lengthy profile published in The New Yorker in October 2016 described Altman as one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley, detailing his role in shaping Y Combinator and his broader ambitions for technology's role in society.[1] The article described his wide-ranging interests, including in areas such as universal basic income, nuclear energy, and the long-term risks and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.

During his tenure at Y Combinator, Altman also became known for his personal blog, where he published essays on topics including startup strategy, management, and technology trends.[9] His writing and public commentary helped establish him as a thought leader in the startup community and extended his influence beyond Y Combinator's direct portfolio.

A 2014 interview in Esquire magazine profiled Altman as a rising figure in technology, highlighting his rapid ascent from young entrepreneur to one of the most prominent gatekeepers in Silicon Valley's startup ecosystem.[4] The article noted his involvement in discussions around preparedness for catastrophic events, a theme that would recur in subsequent profiles.[10]

Altman served as president of Y Combinator until 2019, when he departed to focus full-time on leading OpenAI.

OpenAI (2015–present)

Founding and early involvement

OpenAI was founded in December 2015 as a nonprofit artificial intelligence research organization. Altman was one of the co-founders, alongside Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, and others.[3] The organization's stated mission was to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) would benefit humanity as a whole. Altman's involvement in OpenAI from its inception reflected his long-standing interest in AI and its potential societal implications, themes he had explored during his time at Y Combinator.[1]

In its early years, OpenAI operated as a research laboratory, publishing papers and releasing tools while recruiting top researchers in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The organization attracted significant philanthropic funding and positioned itself as a counterweight to the concentration of AI capabilities within large technology corporations.

Transition to CEO

In 2019, Altman became CEO of OpenAI, coinciding with a significant structural change within the organization. OpenAI transitioned from a purely nonprofit entity to a "capped-profit" structure, creating a for-profit subsidiary—OpenAI LP—that could attract commercial investment while theoretically maintaining the nonprofit's oversight and mission orientation.[2] This structural shift was driven in part by the enormous computational costs associated with training state-of-the-art AI models, which required financial resources beyond what philanthropic donations alone could sustain.

Under the capped-profit model, investors in OpenAI LP could receive returns up to a specified cap, after which additional profits would revert to the nonprofit parent. The arrangement attracted a major investment from Microsoft, which committed US$1 billion to OpenAI in 2019 and subsequently made additional multi-billion-dollar investments, establishing a deep commercial and technical partnership between the two organizations.[3]

Launch of ChatGPT and the AI boom

The release of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, marked a turning point for both OpenAI and the broader artificial intelligence industry. ChatGPT, based on OpenAI's GPT-3.5 large language model, was a conversational AI system that demonstrated a capacity for generating human-like text across a wide range of tasks, from answering questions and writing code to composing essays and creative fiction. The product attracted an estimated 100 million users within two months of its launch, making it one of the fastest-growing consumer technology products in history.[2][3]

The success of ChatGPT propelled Altman into a level of public prominence unusual for a technology executive outside of the consumer electronics or social media sectors. He became a frequent interlocutor for policymakers, journalists, and industry leaders seeking to understand the implications of rapidly advancing AI capabilities. His public statements during this period combined enthusiasm for AI's potential benefits with acknowledgments of its risks, including to labor markets, information integrity, and societal stability.[3]

The release of ChatGPT also triggered a wave of investment and competition across the technology industry, with major companies including Google, Meta, and Amazon accelerating their own AI development programs. This period has been described as the "AI boom," and Altman has been identified as one of its central figures.[11]

Board crisis and reinstatement (November 2023)

On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's board of directors abruptly removed Altman from his position as CEO. In a public statement, the board cited a loss of "confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI" but did not initially provide specific details about the reasons for the decision.[2] The announcement came as a surprise to much of OpenAI's staff, its investors, and the broader technology industry.

The removal triggered an immediate and intense backlash. A large majority of OpenAI's employees signed an open letter threatening to resign if Altman was not reinstated and if the board members who had voted for his removal did not step down. Microsoft, as OpenAI's largest investor and commercial partner, publicly expressed support for Altman. Reports at the time indicated that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella offered Altman a position leading a new advanced AI research team at Microsoft, though Altman ultimately did not take that role.[3]

After five days of intense negotiations, Altman was reinstated as CEO of OpenAI on November 22, 2023. As part of the resolution, the board of directors was restructured, with several of the members who had voted for Altman's removal departing and new members being appointed. The episode drew widespread attention and commentary about the governance challenges inherent in OpenAI's unusual nonprofit-over-for-profit structure, the concentration of power in AI organizations, and the tensions between safety-oriented and commercial imperatives in AI development.

Recent developments

As of early 2026, Altman continues to serve as CEO of OpenAI. He has remained a prominent public voice on the trajectory of artificial intelligence, making appearances at industry conferences, policy forums, and media events globally. In February 2026, Altman spoke at an event hosted by The Indian Express in New Delhi, where he discussed topics including the race toward artificial general intelligence, competition within the AI industry, and the potential impact of AI on employment.[12] During the same India visit, he addressed students at IIT Delhi, stating his view that AI would "automate the whole economy" and advising students to remain current with AI tools and their applications.[13]

In February 2026, Altman publicly commented on what he described as "AI-washing" by technology companies—the practice of attributing layoffs to the adoption of artificial intelligence when the actual reasons may be more complex or unrelated to AI implementation. He suggested that some companies were using AI as a convenient justification for workforce reductions.[14][15]

Altman has also commented publicly on the energy requirements of large-scale AI systems. In remarks reported in February 2026, he compared the energy and resources required to train AI models to the resources consumed in human development, stating that "training a human takes 20 years of food," and arguing that discussions about AI's energy consumption should be considered in that broader context.[16]

Clean energy investments

Outside of his role at OpenAI, Altman has pursued investments in clean energy technologies. He has served as chairman of Helion Energy, a company developing fusion power technology, and Oklo, a company focused on advanced nuclear fission reactors. Helion Energy has been working to develop a commercially viable fusion power plant, and Altman's personal investment in the company has been described as significant.[17] Altman stepped down from his chairman positions at both Helion Energy and Oklo in April 2025.

His interest in energy has been linked to the growing power demands of AI data centers and to a broader personal conviction about the importance of abundant, clean energy for long-term economic and technological progress.[1]

Personal Life

Altman is openly gay, a fact he has discussed in public interviews over the course of his career.[1] He came out during high school in St. Louis.[1] He has one child.

Altman has spoken publicly about interests beyond technology, including in survivalism and preparedness for catastrophic scenarios. A 2023 Business Insider profile noted his interest in topics including pandemics, societal collapse, and life extension technologies.[10] In a 2016 New Yorker profile, Altman discussed having stockpiled supplies—including gold, guns, antibiotics, and batteries—in case of a catastrophic event, as well as an arrangement with a fellow Silicon Valley figure to travel to a designated safe location in the event of a pandemic.[1]

Altman maintains a personal blog where he writes about technology, startups, and societal issues.[9]

Recognition

Altman has been recognized by several publications and organizations for his influence in the technology sector. In 2025, Time magazine named him among the "Architects of AI" as part of its Person of the Year coverage, reflecting his central role in the development and commercialization of artificial intelligence technologies.

He has been a participant in the Bilderberg Meeting, attending the 2016 and 2022 gatherings of the annual invitation-only conference of political leaders, business executives, and intellectuals.[18][19][20]

His estimated net worth, as reported by Forbes, is approximately US$2.1 billion, derived primarily from his personal investments in technology and energy companies rather than from a salary at OpenAI, which for many years operated as a nonprofit.

Legacy

Altman's career has spanned three distinct phases of Silicon Valley's evolution: the mobile application era of the late 2000s, the rise of startup accelerators and seed-stage venture capital in the 2010s, and the emergence of large-scale artificial intelligence in the 2020s. His trajectory from Y Combinator startup founder to Y Combinator president to CEO of one of the most closely watched AI organizations in the world has placed him at the center of debates about the development, governance, and societal impact of artificial intelligence.

The launch of ChatGPT under Altman's leadership at OpenAI is considered a pivotal moment in the commercialization of AI, comparable in cultural impact to the introduction of the iPhone or the World Wide Web in terms of bringing a previously specialized technology into mass public use.[2] The product's success reshaped public discourse about AI and prompted governments around the world to accelerate regulatory efforts related to AI safety, intellectual property, and labor market impacts.

The November 2023 board crisis at OpenAI, and Altman's rapid reinstatement, highlighted the governance challenges facing organizations at the intersection of nonprofit mission-driven research and commercial technology development. The episode prompted broader discussions in the technology industry and among policymakers about how organizations developing potentially transformative AI systems should be structured and governed.

As of 2026, Altman remains one of the most prominent figures in the global conversation about artificial intelligence, its commercial applications, and its implications for the future of work, energy, and society.[21]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 FriendTadTad"Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny".The New Yorker.2016-10-10.https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 De VynckGerritGerrit"Sam Altman, OpenAI and ChatGPT".The Washington Post.2023-04-09.https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/09/sam-altman-openai-chatgpt/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 MetzCadeCade"Sam Altman, OpenAI and ChatGPT".The New York Times.2023-03-31.https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Sam Altman Interview".Esquire.2014.https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/interviews/a30763/sam-altman-interview-2014/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Loopt Executive Team".Loopt.https://web.archive.org/web/20120216022416/http://www.loopt.com/about/company/executives/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  6. ↑ "Startup Loopt Lands With Green Dot".The Wall Street Journal.2012-03-09.https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/03/09/startup-loopt-lands-with-green-dot/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ↑ "Sam Altman Named President of Y Combinator".Entrepreneur.https://web.archive.org/web/20151222150644/http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244508.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ↑ "Y Combinator People".Y Combinator.https://web.archive.org/web/20140625021419/http://ycombinator.com/people.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Sam Altman's Blog".Sam Altman.https://blog.samaltman.com/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Sam Altman on Pandemics, Apocalypse, and Life Extension".Business Insider.2023-04.https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-pandemic-apocalypse-immortality-life-extension-openai-2023-4.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  11. ↑ "People Loved the Dot-Com Boom. The A.I. Boom, Not So Much.".The New York Times.2026-02-21.https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/technology/ai-boom-backlash.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  12. ↑ "Sam Altman at Express Adda Highlights".The Indian Express.2026-02-21.https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/sam-altman-at-express-adda-live-updates-open-ai-ceo-interview-anant-goenka-10542468/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  13. ↑ "Sam Altman says AI will 'automate the whole economy', shares message for students at IIT Delhi".Mint.2026-02-23.https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/sam-altman-says-ai-will-automate-the-whole-economy-shares-message-for-students-at-iit-delhi-11771849044415.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  14. ↑ "Sam Altman thinks tech companies are 'AI-washing' their layoffs".San Francisco Chronicle.2026-02-22.https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/layoffs-sam-altman-ai-washing-21647451.php.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  15. ↑ "'Lay-offs': AI founder says quiet part out loud".News.com.au.2026-02-21.https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/trends/ai-washing-openai-ceo-sam-altman-appears-to-confirm-sneaky-job-loss-trend/news-story/f4da1e473ecc7da7ab4a2b47fcae1227.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  16. ↑ "'Training A Human Takes 20 Years Of Food': Sam Altman On How Much Power AI Consumes".News18.2026-02-21.https://www.news18.com/world/training-a-human-takes-20-years-of-food-sam-altman-on-how-much-power-ai-consumes-ws-kl-9922309.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  17. ↑ "Sam Altman's Fusion Power Bet Just Got Hotter Than The Sun".Forbes.2026-02-20.https://www.forbes.com/sites/the-prototype/2026/02/20/sam-altmans-fusion-power-bet-just-got-hotter-than-the-sun/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  18. ↑ "Participants 2022".Bilderberg Meetings.2022.https://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/meetings/meeting-2022/participants-2022.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  19. ↑ "Bilderberg: OpenAI, Microsoft, Google join AI talks at secretive meeting".CNBC.2023-05-18.https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/18/bilderberg-openai-microsoft-google-join-ai-talks-at-secretive-meeting.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  20. ↑ "Bilderberg meeting group gathers in Lisbon".The Guardian.2023-05-20.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/20/bilderberg-meeting-group-lisbon-kissinger.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  21. ↑ "People Loved the Dot-Com Boom. The A.I. Boom, Not So Much.".The New York Times.2026-02-21.https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/21/technology/ai-boom-backlash.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.

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