Sam Altman

Biography

Altman co-founded the location app Loopt at 19, then became president of the startup accelerator Y Combinator in 2014, funding a generation of Silicon Valley companies. He co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and became its CEO; the release of ChatGPT in November 2022 made it the most consequential AI company in the world. His firing by OpenAI's board in November 2023 — and reinstatement five days later after staff and investors revolted — became a defining drama of the AI age.

American entrepreneur who ran Y Combinator and now leads OpenAI, the company whose ChatGPT ignited the generative-AI boom.

Known for

Leading OpenAI through the launch of ChatGPT.

Notable works & defining projects

• OpenAI / ChatGPT
• Y Combinator
• Loopt

Notable achievements

• Co-founded OpenAI (2015) and led it through the launch of ChatGPT (2022)
• As Y Combinator's president (2014–2019) backed thousands of startups
• Reinstated as OpenAI CEO five days after his 2023 firing, in a landmark boardroom reversal

Timeline

1. 2005Co-founded Loopt at 19
2. 2015Co-founded OpenAI
3. 2022OpenAI launched ChatGPT under his leadership

Did you know?

• He co-founded his first company, Loopt, at 19 and sold it for $43 million in 2012
• He chairs the nuclear-energy company Oklo and has backed the fusion startup Helion