^{Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI -} CNBC

Sam Altman (born April 22 1985 in Chicago Illinois USA) is an American entrepreneur who served as president of the startup accelerator Y Combinator from 2014 to 2019 and has been CEO of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI since 2019.

^{Stanford University where Sam Altman dropped out without completing his degree -} Founderoo

Samuel Harris Altman was born on April 22 1985 in Chicago Illinois to a Jewish family. His mother Connie Gibstine was a dermatologist and his father Jerry Altman a real estate agent. The eldest of four siblings Sam Altman grew up in St Louis Missouri. He demonstrated an early aptitude for numbers and calculations. At the age of eight he acquired his first Apple Macintosh computer to learn programming and disassemble computer hardware. He began his education at John Burroughs School a private school in Ladue Missouri. In 2003 Altman enrolled at Stanford University to study computer science. Two years later at age 19 he dropped out without completing his degree and began working on his first venture Loopt a location-based social network company he co-founded. Sam Altman gained popularity among Silicon Valley investors such as Y Combinator Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates who invested over $30 million in his idea. However in 2012 he sold Loopt to Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million in cash after failing to attract sufficient users.

^{Sam Altman served as president of the startup accelerator Y Combinator -} Ifanr

In 2011 Altman became a part-time partner at the startup accelerator Y Combinator (YC). Three years later YC’s founders Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston asked Altman to succeed Graham as president and he accepted the offer. In 2012 Altman co-founded Hydrazine Capital with his brother Jack Altman focusing on early-stage technology investments. Under Sam Altman’s leadership Y Combinator evolved into a premier incubator nurturing major startups. In 2019 Altman stepped down as president of Y Combinator to focus on OpenAI. In early 2020 Altman left Y Combinator amid reports of his removal and self-appointment as president. By the time Altman resigned as president Y Combinator had supported nearly 1900 companies including Airbnb for room rentals delivery services Instacart and DoorDash the forum site Reddit and the streaming platform Twitch.

^{Sam Altman speaking -} CHIP

As Altman’s influence in the entrepreneurial world grew he became involved in an even more ambitious project destined to shape the future of artificial intelligence. In 2015 while still part of Y Combinator he co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk and Peter Thiel.

The company aimed to develop friendly AI that benefits humanity and received $1 billion in funding from its founders and technology giants such as Microsoft. For four years OpenAI focused primarily on research before launching its first products.

Under Altman’s leadership OpenAI transitioned in 2022 from a nonprofit organization to a limited-profit entity and began licensing its technologies in 2020. GPT-3 released in 2020 showcased OpenAI’s capabilities in natural language processing.

DALL-E followed in 2021 demonstrating the ability to generate images from text prompts. This progress led to a major investment by Microsoft estimated at $13 billion in 2023.

In 2023 OpenAI launched GPT-4 announcing it was ten times more advanced than its predecessor GPT-3.5. The release of GPT-4 marked a turning point that solidified OpenAI’s reputation as a leader in AI development. This innovation was followed by further enhancements to older AI models and the introduction of alternatives such as Canvas Mini and Turbo in 2024 expanding OpenAI’s portfolio of AI technologies.

^{Sam Altman was temporarily removed as CEO of OpenAI -} LinkedIn

November 2023 was a turbulent period for Altman at OpenAI; the board removed him citing a lack of confidence in his leadership and transparency. However this decision faced significant internal opposition.

Approximately 95 percent of OpenAI employees threatened to resign if Altman was not reinstated highlighting the immense respect and admiration he commanded. This movement prompted a reassessment of leadership strategies and led to the formation of a new board comprising Bret Taylor as chair alongside Larry Summers and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo.

Sam Altman’s contributions extend beyond artificial intelligence innovation. As chairman of Helion Energy and Oklo Inc he directs pioneering efforts in nuclear fusion and fission technologies reflecting his commitment to sustainable energy solutions. Helion Energy is developing a fusion reactor capable of providing an unlimited clean energy source. Meanwhile Oklo Inc focuses on small modular reactors that promise more flexible and safer nuclear energy options.

Through Hydrazine Capital the venture fund he co-founded with his brother Altman has supported startups such as Airbnb and Stripe significantly impacting the technology sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic he supported Project Covalence which accelerated clinical trials. His leadership facilitated Oklo Inc’s successful merger with a SPAC in 2024 and he continues to serve as its chairman.

Altman’s influence is recognized globally. In 2017 he received an honorary Doctorate in Engineering from the University of Waterloo for his support of emerging technology companies. His awards include being named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2023 and 2024 CEO of the Year in 2023 and inclusion in Businessweek’s list of the Best Young Entrepreneurs in Technology in 2008. Forbes also listed him in 2015 as one of the best investors under 30 emphasizing his significant impact in venture capital.

By 2025 Altman had amassed a net worth of $1.7 billion. He is married. As a significant step toward philanthropy the couple signed the Giving Pledge in May 2024 committing to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.

^{Sam Altman alongside U.S. President Donald Trump as he announces the Stargate Project with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son -} Ars Technica

As of 2024 Sam Altman continues to drive major advancements in artificial intelligence in his role as CEO of OpenAI a position he has held for over five years. Under his leadership OpenAI reached a staggering valuation of $300 billion following a major funding round led by the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank in March 2025 joining SpaceX and ByteDance among the world’s most valuable private companies.

Altman clearly articulated his vision for the future of artificial intelligence in his September 2024 manifesto “The Age of Intelligence.” In it he predicts the emergence of superintelligence within a few thousand days and emphasizes AI’s transformative potential for society.

On January 21 2025 the Trump administration announced a new AI infrastructure project called Stargate led by the private sector and OpenAI. The announcement came shortly after President Donald Trump assumed office. Trump made a major impact by unveiling Stargate a new public-private partnership with the potential to significantly influence AI innovation in the United States and beyond. Although many details of the initiative remain unclear Stargate plans to build up to 20 large AI data centers in the United States with an initial investment of $10 billion and aims to invest up to $50 billion by 2029. At the announcement Altman was joined by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. These three individuals serve as directors of the new joint venture. A fourth capital investor the Abu Dhabi government-controlled AI-focused investment fund MGX is also participating. Alongside OpenAI and Oracle major technology contributors to the project include Microsoft Nvidia and Arm.