Sam Altman

!Sam Altman) Samuel Harris Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and chief executive officer of OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research organization he co-founded in 2015.[](https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a65810455/sam-altman)[](https://www.toolshero.com/toolsheroes/sam-altman/) Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Altman attended Stanford University but dropped out to launch Loopt, a mobile location-sharing application that was acquired in 2012.[](https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/a65810455/sam-altman)[](https://www.ineteconomics.org/research/experts/saltman) In 2011, he joined Y Combinator, becoming its president in 2014 and leading the startup accelerator until 2019, during which it backed companies including Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit.[](https://www.ycombinator.com/blog/sam-altman-for-president)[](https://www.ineteconomics.org/research/experts/saltman) Under Altman's stewardship at OpenAI, the organization developed foundational AI models such as GPT-3, DALL-E, and ChatGPT, the latter sparking global adoption after its 2022 debut and securing over $10 billion in funding from Microsoft.[](https://aimagazine.com/articles/lifetime-of-achievement-sam-altman)[](https://www.forbes.com/profile/sam-altman/) These advancements have positioned OpenAI as a leader in generative AI, though Altman's net worth of approximately $1 billion stems from personal investments in firms like Uber, Stripe, and nuclear fusion startup Helion Energy, not from OpenAI equity.[](https://www.forbes.com/profile/sam-altman/)[](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2024/04/08/openai-made-sam-altman-famous-his-investments-made-him-a-billionaire/) Altman's tenure has involved notable conflicts, including his abrupt dismissal by OpenAI's board in November 2023 over allegations of inconsistent candor, particularly on AI safety protocols and an internal letter warning of a major algorithmic advance, followed by swift reinstatement after nearly all employees threatened to depart.[](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/29/former-openai-board-member-explains-why-ceo-sam-altman-was-fired.html)[](https://www.reuters.com/technology/sam-altmans-ouster-openai-was-precipitated-by-letter-board-about-ai-breakthrough-2023-11-22/) He has also co-founded Worldcoin, a blockchain-based identity verification system using iris scans, which has encountered regulatory bans and data deletion mandates in countries like Spain and Indonesia due to privacy violations.[](https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/spanish-watchdog-tells-worldcoin-delete-all-iris-scan-data-2024-12-19/)[](https://www.theblock.co/post/353072/sam-altmans-world-project-hit-with-suspension-in-indonesia-over-alleged-regulatory-violations) Critics have raised concerns about OpenAI's balance between rapid development and safety under his leadership, amid reports of internal friction over risk mitigation.[](https://fortune.com/2025/06/20/openai-files-sam-altman-leadership-concerns-safety-failures-ai-lab/)

Samuel Harris Altmanis an American entrepreneur, investor, and chief executive officer of OpenAI since 2019. He is considered one of the leading figures of the AI boom.