Sam
Altman

Born Samuel Harris Altman on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois, to dermatologist mother Connie Gibstine and real estate broker father Jerry Altman in a Jewish family; eldest of four siblings (brothers Max and Jack, sister Annie); early environment provided intellectual stimulation and exposure to professional ambition.

Early childhood in Chicago; family emphasized education and curiosity; young Sam showed signs of high intelligence and independent thinking in a supportive household.

Continued family life in Chicago; parents fostered analytical mindset through books, discussions, and problem-solving activities.

Ongoing early development; became vegetarian as a young child, a choice he maintained lifelong reflecting early ethical considerations.

Family relocated to Clayton, Missouri (St. Louis suburb) in 1989; adjusted to new Midwestern environment with access to strong public education and community resources.

Settled in St. Louis area; attended local elementary school; demonstrated early fascination with technology and science.

Continued elementary education; family home encouraged reading and exploration; began showing strong interest in computers and gadgets.

Ongoing schooling in Missouri; parents supported intellectual pursuits; deepened curiosity about how machines worked.

Received first Apple Macintosh computer; taught himself programming, disassembled hardware to understand internals; marked beginning of lifelong passion for computing and software development.

Intensified self-directed learning in programming; spent hours experimenting with code and building small projects on personal computer.

Continued elementary and middle school; excelled in math and science; explored early internet and online communities.

Ongoing education; developed reputation as tech-savvy child among peers; family supported hands-on technical hobbies.

Transitioned to middle school; deepened programming skills; began envisioning technology's potential to connect people.

Enrolled at John Burroughs School, a prestigious private preparatory in Ladue, Missouri; thrived in rigorous academic environment with focus on critical thinking.

Continued at John Burroughs; participated in science and technology clubs; honed analytical and debating skills.

Ongoing high school; explored entrepreneurship ideas; maintained strong interest in software and emerging mobile tech.

Deepened involvement in computing projects; prepared for college applications with focus on computer science.

Came out as gay during high school assembly after opposing a speaker on National Coming Out Day; demonstrated early courage and advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues.

Senior year at John Burroughs; graduated with strong academic record; accepted to Stanford University for computer science.

Freshman year at Stanford; immersed in Silicon Valley tech culture; began conceptualizing startup ideas focused on location-based services.

Dropped out of Stanford after two years to co-found Loopt, a location-based social networking app; raised initial venture funding including from Y Combinator; served as CEO in intense startup environment.

Grew Loopt rapidly; secured investments from Sequoia Capital and others totaling over $30 million; navigated early mobile app challenges.

Continued leading Loopt; focused on user growth and product iteration amid rising smartphone adoption.

Ongoing Loopt development; built team and partnerships; personal relationship with co-founder Nick Sivo.

Expanded Loopt features; competed in emerging social mobile space.

Intensified fundraising and scaling efforts for Loopt; gained recognition in Silicon Valley startup circles.

Joined Y Combinator as part-time partner; provided mentorship to new batches while running Loopt.

Loopt acquired by Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million; co-founded Hydrazine Capital venture fund with brother Jack using proceeds; invested heavily in YC companies.

Managed Hydrazine investments; served briefly as interim CEO of Reddit for eight days; deepened involvement in startup ecosystem.

Became full-time president of Y Combinator; aimed to scale program and focus on hard-tech startups.

Co-founded OpenAI as nonprofit research lab with Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, and others to advance AI safety; continued expanding YC.

Led YC growth initiatives; contributed to YC Research and Continuity fund; attended high-profile events like Bilderberg.

Oversaw YC's expansion to hundreds of startups annually; emphasized AI and biotechnology investments.

Managed OpenAI board transitions including Musk's departure; deepened focus on AGI safety research.

Transitioned to full-time CEO of OpenAI; oversaw shift to capped-profit structure; co-founded Worldcoin for universal basic income and identity verification.

Led OpenAI through early GPT model developments; funded COVID-19 clinical trial initiatives; expanded investment portfolio including nuclear fusion (Helion).

Published influential blog posts like 'Moore's Law for Everything'; supported political initiatives including Andrew Yang's campaign; invested in charter cities.

OpenAI launched ChatGPT preview based on GPT-3.5, achieving rapid adoption; testified on AI regulation; global tours meeting world leaders.

Briefly ousted as OpenAI CEO in November board crisis over communication concerns; massive employee support led to reinstatement within days with new board; Microsoft partnership strengthened.

Married engineer Oliver Mulherin in January Hawaii ceremony after long-term relationship; committed to Giving Pledge; addressed AI safety concerns publicly; expanded investments in longevity and energy.

Welcomed son with husband Oliver; named among Time's 2025 Person of the Year 'Architects of AI'; predicted AI agents joining workforce and impacting mental health; hired for AI preparedness roles; discussed superintelligence timelines; hosted political fundraisers; family denied sister's abuse allegations; net worth ~$2.1 billion amid ongoing OpenAI advancements and global AI influence.