Sam Altman

From Y Combinator to Building AGI

tech business
Sam Altman

Net Worth

$1B

Born

April 22, 1985 (age 40)

Country

United States

Occupation

Entrepreneur, Investor, CEO

Gender

male

Generation

Millennial

Marital Status

married

Children

1

Single Parent Household

No

Education

College Dropout

University

Stanford University

Industries

tech, business

Wealth Category

billionaire

Wealth Origin

self-made

First-Gen Wealth

Yes

Overcame

  • • Came out as gay at 16 in conservative Missouri
  • • Dropped out of Stanford University after two years
  • • First startup Loopt struggled and was acquired for less than raised capital
  • • Faced intense criticism and board conflict at OpenAI in 2023

Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur and investor who serves as the CEO of OpenAI. He was previously the president of Y Combinator, one of the most successful startup accelerators in the world. He is widely considered one of the most influential figures in technology and artificial intelligence.

Career Timeline

1985

Born in St. Louis, Missouri

2001 Age 16
Turning Point

Came out as gay at high school assembly

2003 Age 18
Turning Point

Attended Stanford University to study computer science

2005 Age 20
Turning Point

Dropped out of Stanford to found Loopt

2012 Age 27
Achievement

Loopt acquired for $43 million

2014 Age 29
Milestone

Became president of Y Combinator

2015 Age 30
Milestone

Co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk and others

2019 Age 34
Milestone

Stepped down as Y Combinator president; became OpenAI CEO

2022 Age 37
Milestone

ChatGPT launched; became fastest-growing consumer app ever

2023 Age 38
Setback

Briefly fired by OpenAI board; reinstated within a week

2024 Age 39
Milestone

Married Oliver Mulherin; welcomed first child

Notable Quotes

"The most successful people I know are all obsessed with solving important problems."

— Interview, 2021

"You can't wait for the world to become fair before you start building things."

— Blog Post, 2014

"The cost of starting a company has gone down dramatically, but the cost of succeeding has gone up."

— Interview, 2019

"I think AI is going to be more transformative than the internet."