Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Sam Altman

How Sam Altman built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur, investor, and the current CEO of OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company. Taking the helm in 2019, he has been a central figure in the rapid advancement and increasing prominence of AI. Altman's leadership at OpenAI has coincided with breakthroughs in generative AI models, pushing the boundaries of what's possible and shaping the ongoing discussion about the future of artificial intelligence. He is regarded as a key voice in navigating the opportunities and challenges presented by this transformative technology.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2005: Co-founded Loopt

In 2005, at age 19, Sam Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application. He raised over US$30 million in venture capital for the company.

2011: Partner at Y Combinator

In 2011, Sam Altman became a partner at the startup accelerator Y Combinator (YC), initially on a part-time basis.

March 2012: Acquisition of Loopt by Green Dot Corporation

In March 2012, Loopt was acquired by the Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million after failing to gain significant user traction.

April 2012: Co-founded Hydrazine Capital

In April 2012, Sam Altman co-founded Hydrazine Capital with his brother, Jack Altman. The initial fund was $21 million.

February 2014: President of Y Combinator

In February 2014, Sam Altman became president of Y Combinator, aiming to expand its funding and focus on hard technology startups.

2014: CEO of Reddit

For eight days in 2014, Sam Altman served as the CEO of Reddit after Yishan Wong resigned.

2014: President of Y Combinator

In 2014, Altman became the president of Y Combinator, taking on a leadership role in guiding and funding startups.

July 10, 2015: Steve Huffman Returns as Reddit CEO

On July 10, 2015, Sam Altman announced the return of Steve Huffman as CEO of Reddit.

October 2015: Expanding Y Combinator's Scope

In October 2015, Sam Altman was involved in expanding Y Combinator's scope, contributing $10 million to the initial fund of Y Combinator Research and announcing YC Continuity, a fund to invest in maturing YC companies.

2015: OpenAI Launched as Nonprofit

In 2015, OpenAI was launched as a nonprofit organization with pledges for $1 billion, co-founded by Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Elon Musk, Jessica Livingston, Peter Thiel, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Infosys and YC Research.

2015: Concerns about AI safety

In 2015, Sam Altman stated that his motivation was partly due to concerns about AI safety and the existential risk from artificial general intelligence. He anticipated a decades-long project to surpass human intelligence.

September 2016: President of YC Group

In September 2016, Sam Altman's role at YC expanded to president of YC Group, which included Y Combinator and other units.

March 2019: Left Y Combinator

In March 2019, Sam Altman left Y Combinator to focus full-time as CEO of OpenAI.

March 2019: Transition from YC President to Chairman

In March 2019, YC announced Sam Altman's transition from president to chairman of the board, enabling him to focus on OpenAI. This came shortly after YC announced its headquarters would move to San Francisco.

2019: Appointment as OpenAI CEO

In 2019, Sam Altman became the CEO of OpenAI, solidifying his role in the artificial intelligence sector.

2019: Co-founded Tools For Humanity

In 2019, Sam Altman co-founded the for-profit company Tools For Humanity.

2020: No longer affiliated with YC

By early 2020, Sam Altman was no longer affiliated with YC. It was later revealed that he had falsely claimed the board chair title.

March 2021: Co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp

In March 2021, Sam Altman co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp, a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), and served as its CEO.

2021: Investment in Reddit Funding Round

In 2021, Sam Altman invested in a Reddit funding round.

December 2022: Launch and Reception of ChatGPT

In December 2022, OpenAI, under Sam Altman, received widespread media coverage after launching a free preview of ChatGPT, which received over a million signups within five days.

2022: ChatGPT Launch

In 2022, OpenAI, under Altman's leadership, launched ChatGPT, a highly successful AI chatbot.

2022: Remained on Reddit's board until 2022

Sam Altman remained on the Reddit board until 2022.

March 2023: Response to SVB Crisis

During the depositor run on Silicon Valley Bank in mid-March 2023, Sam Altman provided capital to multiple startups.

May 2023: World Tour after ChatGPT Success

In May 2023, following the success of ChatGPT, Sam Altman undertook a world tour, visiting 22 countries and meeting with multiple leaders and diplomats. Altman was also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people.

May 16, 2023: Testified Before Senate Subcommittee

On May 16, 2023, Sam Altman testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law regarding AI oversight.

November 21, 2023: Return as CEO of OpenAI

On November 21, 2023, Sam Altman returned to OpenAI as CEO, with a reconstructed board consisting of Bret Taylor (as chairman) and Lawrence Summers, with Adam D'Angelo remaining.

May 2024: Oklo Inc. completed a merger with AltC Acquisition Corp

In May 2024, Oklo Inc. completed a merger with the SPAC, AltC Acquisition Corp, which Altman co-founded, to become a public company. Altman remained as chairman of Oklo following the merger.

April 2025: Chairman of Helion Energy and Oklo

As of April 2025, Sam Altman served as chairman of clean energy companies Helion Energy and Oklo.

April 2025: Stepping down as Chairman of Oklo Inc.

In April 2025, Sam Altman stepped down as chairman of Oklo to "avoid conflict of interest" and "open up opportunities for future deals between OpenAI and Oklo."