Sam Altman
Born 1985 · Age 40
American entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of OpenAI. Co-founder of Loopt, Tools For Humanity/Worldcoin, Hydrazine Capital; former president of Y Combinator; investor in hundreds of startups and clean-energy companies.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Chicago, Illinois
Samuel Harris Gibstine Altman born into a Jewish family; later grew up in St. Louis, Missouri.
Received first computer and began coding
At age 8 received an Apple Macintosh and began learning to code and take apart hardware.
Came out as gay in high school
Disclosed his sexuality publicly at age 17 at John Burroughs School and advocated for 'Safe Space' signs; formative personal milestone.
Matriculated at Stanford University (computer science)
Enrolled at Stanford University to study computer science (attended for two years).
Loopt raised over $30M in venture capital
During its lifetime Loopt raised more than $30 million from VCs including NEA, Sequoia, and participation from Y Combinator.
Dropped out of Stanford after two years
Left Stanford without a bachelor's degree to pursue entrepreneurship.
Co-founded Loopt (location-based mobile app)
Co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application; served as CEO.
Loopt accepted into Y Combinator
Loopt was one of the early startups accepted into Y Combinator's program.
Loopt initial VC financing (noted $5M initial tranche)
Loopt raised multiple rounds of venture capital; initial $5M investment cited from Patrick Chung/Xfund and New Enterprise Associates (NEA).
Joined Y Combinator as a partner (part-time)
Became a part-time partner at startup accelerator Y Combinator, starting his leadership trajectory there.
Ended long-term relationship with Loopt co-founder
Broke up with Loopt co-founder Nick Sivo after a nine-year relationship, shortly after Loopt's acquisition in 2012.
Co-founded Hydrazine Capital (with brother)
Co-founded venture/ investment firm Hydrazine Capital with his brother Jack (listed in sources as co-founder in 2012).
Loopt acquired by Green Dot for $43.4M
Green Dot Corporation acquired Loopt after it failed to gain significant user traction; acquisition price $43.4M.
Reported YC companies' total valuation > $65B
In a 2014 blog post Altman stated that combined valuation of Y Combinator companies had surpassed $65 billion.
Interim CEO of Reddit (8 days)
Served briefly (eight days) as interim CEO of Reddit after Yishan Wong resigned; later returned Steve Huffman as CEO in July 2015 and stayed on Reddit board until 2022.
Became president of Y Combinator
Succeeded Paul Graham as president of Y Combinator in February 2014, expanding YC's scope and ambitions.
Expressed concerns about existential risk of AGI
Publicly stated motivation for OpenAI included concerns about AI safety and existential risks from AGI.
Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (Venture Capital) — cited
Recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 in venture capital in 2015 (mentioned in editorial coverage of his influence).
Y Combinator Continuity / YC Group expansion
Played central role in expanding YC's programs and creating YC Continuity (reports show YC raised large follow-on funds around this time).
Co-founded OpenAI (nonprofit)
OpenAI launched in 2015 as a nonprofit co-founded by Altman, Greg Brockman, Elon Musk and others with pledges of $1 billion from backers.
Contributed $10M to YC Research; announced YC Continuity
Announced plans to expand YC's scope; contributed $10M to YC Research and announced YC Continuity fund to invest in later-stage YC companies.
OpenAI cloud costs highlighted ($7.9M in 2017)
OpenAI spent $7.9 million on cloud computing in 2017 (about a quarter of its functional expenses), indicating high infrastructure needs.
Nancy Pelosi presented Ric Weiland Award
Received the Ric Weiland Award in 2017 (photo referenced of Nancy Pelosi presenting it).
Elon Musk resigned from OpenAI board
Musk left OpenAI's board citing potential conflicts with Tesla's AI efforts; relationship and funding dynamics shifted after his departure.
Considered running for California governor (did not run)
Contemplated a 2018 run for California governor but ultimately decided not to enter the race.
Announced 'United Slate' political project
Launched a political initiative called the 'United Slate' aiming to improve U.S. housing and healthcare policy.
Hosted fundraiser for Andrew Yang
Held a fundraiser at his home in San Francisco for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
Co-founded Tools For Humanity (Worldcoin project)
Co-founded Tools For Humanity, the for-profit company behind Worldcoin, promoting an iris-scanning 'Orb' and cryptocurrency for proof-of-personhood.
Transitioned from YC president to chairman to focus on OpenAI
In March 2019 Altman stepped back from day-to-day YC duties to focus full-time on OpenAI, moving into a chairman/less hands-on role.
OpenAI announced plan to spend $1B within five years
OpenAI leadership stated massive capital needs for AGI research — $1 billion planned within five years (and potentially more).
OpenAI changed structure to capped-profit
OpenAI transitioned from a pure nonprofit to a capped-profit model allowing outside investment (profit cap ~100x).
Microsoft invested $1B in OpenAI
Microsoft announced a $1 billion partnership/investment and provided Azure supercomputing capacity to OpenAI.
Helped create/fund Project Covalence during COVID-19
Funded and helped create Project Covalence to accelerate clinical trials in partnership with TrialSpark during the pandemic.
Donated $250,000 to American Bridge (Biden-supporting super PAC)
Donated $250K to American Bridge 21st Century supporting Joe Biden (reported May 2020).
OpenAI released DALL·E
OpenAI released DALL·E (image generation model based on text prompts) as part of its model line-up.
Co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp (SPAC) with Michael Klein
Launched a special-purpose acquisition company aimed at raising capital (referred to as targeting $1 billion).
OpenAI released GPT-3.5 and laid groundwork for ChatGPT
Advances in large language models culminated in the ChatGPT product launch the following year.
Release of ChatGPT preview; >1M signups in five days
OpenAI launched a free preview of ChatGPT (GPT-3.5-based); reportedly over 1 million signups within the first five days.
Accused (by Helen Toner and others) of withholding information leading to OpenAI board firing
In May 2024 Helen Toner and others provided rationale for the November 2023 firing, alleging withholding information and other concerns about Altman's behavior (publicized post-firing).
Worldcoin had scanned ~2 million eyes and raised ~$250M
By 2023 Tools For Humanity/Worldcoin reported scanning about two million people's irises and raising roughly $250M from investors (a16z, SBF listed).
Worldcoin operations paused/regulated in multiple countries
Regulators in Kenya, France, UK, Bavaria, South Korea, Spain, Portugal and Hong Kong investigated or suspended Worldcoin due to biometric/privacy concerns.
Attended Bilderberg Meeting
Invited participant at the Bilderberg Meeting in 2016, 2022 and 2023 (noted as attendee in those years).
Involved in boosting Rep. Dean Phillips' presidential challenge effort
Reported involvement in boosting Representative Dean Phillips as he prepared a Democratic primary challenge to President Biden.
Provided capital to startups during Silicon Valley Bank run
During the depositor run on SVB in mid-March 2023, Altman personally provided capital to multiple startups to help them survive.
Global diplomacy/world tour after ChatGPT success
In May 2023 Altman visited 22 countries and met multiple national leaders (Sunak, Macron, Modi, Scholz, Sunak, Herzog, von der Leyen, etc.).
Testified before U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on AI oversight
Testified on AI oversight, safety, and regulation before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law.
Fired from OpenAI CEO role by board
OpenAI board announced removal of Altman as CEO citing he 'was not consistently candid' with the board; Greg Brockman also removed from board.
OpenAI employees threatened to leave; mass support for reinstatement
Over 700 of ~770 OpenAI employees signed an open letter threatening to join Microsoft unless the board reinstated Altman and Brockman.
Microsoft announced offer to hire Altman to lead new AI group
Satya Nadella announced Altman would join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team (announcement came 3 days after his firing).
Reinstated as OpenAI CEO; new board appointed
Agreement reached in principle; Altman and Brockman returned to their prior roles and a reconstituted board including Bret Taylor and Lawrence Summers was named.
As of June 2024: portfolio stakes in 400+ companies valued ~$2.8B
Reporting noted Altman's investment portfolio included stakes in over 400 companies collectively valued about $2.8 billion as of mid‑2024.
Listed as major Reddit shareholder (~9% pre-IPO)
Prior to Reddit's IPO in 2024 Altman was listed as its third-largest shareholder with roughly a 9% stake; press estimated potential value in the hundreds of millions.
Accusations about OpenAI non-disparagement agreements exposed
In May 2024 non-disparagement agreements at OpenAI were exposed and Altman faced accusations about knowledge of equity cancellation provisions.
Married Oliver Mulherin
Married engineer Oliver Mulherin in January 2024 at their estate in Hawaii; they live in San Francisco and Napa.
Elon Musk sued OpenAI and Sam Altman
Musk filed suit alleging OpenAI and Altman breached founding commitments by prioritizing profit; OpenAI publicly disputed the claims in March 2024.
Debuted on Bloomberg Billionaires Index (est. net worth $2B)
Bloomberg listed Altman in March 2024 with an estimated net worth of approximately $2.0 billion, driven by investments related to Hydrazine Capital and other holdings.
Worldcoin raised $115M in a funding round
Worldcoin announced a $115M funding round (reported March 29, 2024).
Signed the Giving Pledge
Altman and his spouse committed to give away most of their wealth by signing Warren Buffett / Bill Gates' Giving Pledge in May 2024.
Oklo merged with AltC SPAC and became public (May 2024)
Oklo Inc. completed a merger with AltC Acquisition Corp and listed publicly in May 2024; Altman remained chairman after the merger.
Oklo stock plunged 54% on NYSE debut
Oklo's public debut (merged with AltC SPAC) saw shares plunge ~54% on May 10, 2024.
Hydrazine Capital received $75M university endowment commitment (reported 2023/2024)
University of Michigan endowment became the only outside investor in a 2023 Hydrazine funding round; reported as ~$75M commitment in reporting on Hydrazine.
Named to San Francisco Mayor-Elect Daniel Lurie's transition team
Named to the transition team for Mayor-Elect Daniel Lurie (announcement November 18, 2024).
Donated $1M to Presidential Inaugural Fund (reported)
Reported donation of $1 million to the Inaugural Fund for President Donald Trump in December 2024.
Became father (son born)
Altman and his spouse Oliver Mulherin had a son (reported born in 2025).
Altman continues as OpenAI CEO (post-reinstatement)
Despite upheavals in 2023–24, Altman was reinstated and remains chief executive officer of OpenAI through 2025.
Sister filed lawsuit alleging historic sexual abuse (denied by family)
In January 2025 Altman's sister Ann filed a lawsuit alleging abuse; Sam and family publicly denied the allegations.
Public speaking: testified and gave high-profile talks (e.g., Senate, TED appearances)
Altman testified before Congress in 2023 and continued to appear at major forums and conferences (e.g., TED in 2025 image caption).
Reported net worth (July 2025 estimate $1.8B)
Altman's net worth was estimated at $1.8 billion as of July 2025 in various reporting.
OpenAI expressed interest in collaborating with China (statement)
Altman said in February 2025 OpenAI is interested in collaboration with China despite US regulatory restrictions.
Hosted fundraiser for Senator Mark Warner
Hosted a political fundraiser in San Francisco for Senator Mark Warner (reported March 20, 2025).
Stepped down as Oklo chairman to avoid conflicts (April 2025)
Altman stepped down as chairman of Oklo in April 2025 to 'avoid conflict of interest' and open opportunities for cooperation between OpenAI and Oklo.
Posted political views on X 'techno-capitalism' and criticism of Democrats
On July 4, 2025 Altman posted his ideological stance, describing himself as supportive of 'techno-capitalism' and increasingly 'politically homeless'.
Key Achievement Ages
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