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 technology entrepreneur and investor, most prominently known as the CEO of OpenAI since 2019. As the head of OpenAI, he is a leading figure in the artificial intelligence field. His work focuses on developing and deploying advanced AI technologies.

Sections (4)

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

2005: Co-founding Loopt

In 2005, Sam Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application.

2008: Businessweek's Best Young Entrepreneurs in Technology

In 2008, Sam Altman was named one of the "Best Young Entrepreneurs in Technology" by Businessweek.

2011: Joining Y Combinator as a Partner

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

2011: Joining Y Combinator

In 2011, Sam Altman joined Y Combinator, a startup accelerator.

March 2012: Acquisition of Loopt by Green Dot Corporation

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

April 2012: Co-founding Hydrazine Capital

In April 2012, Sam Altman co-founded Hydrazine Capital with his brother, Jack Altman. The venture capital firm focuses on early-stage tech investments.

February 2014: Named President of Y Combinator

In February 2014, Sam Altman was named president of Y Combinator by co-founder Paul Graham.

2014: Temporary CEO of Reddit and Investment

For eight days in 2014, Sam Altman was the CEO of Reddit after Yishan Wong resigned, and he also invested in Reddit's funding rounds.

2014: President of Y Combinator

In 2014, Sam Altman became the president of Y Combinator, a startup accelerator.

July 10, 2015: Return of Steve Huffman as CEO of Reddit

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

October 2015: Announcing YC Continuity and Y Combinator Research

In October 2015, Sam Altman announced YC Continuity, a $700 million equity fund to invest in YC companies, and introduced Y Combinator Research, donating $10 million of his funds to establish it.

December 2015: Co-founding OpenAI

In December 2015, Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI with figures such as Elon Musk, Jessica Livingston, and Peter Thiel to promote friendly AI, initially funded with $1 billion.

2015: Forbes' Top Investor Under 30

In 2015, Sam Altman was recognized as the top investor under 30 by Forbes magazine.

September 2016: Expanded Role as President of YC Group

In September 2016, Sam Altman announced his expanded role as president of YC Group, which included Y Combinator and other units.

2016: Invitation to Bilderberg Meeting

In 2016, Sam Altman was invited to attend the Bilderberg Meeting.

2018: Considered Running for Governor of California

In 2018, Sam Altman contemplated running for governor of California but ultimately decided not to.

March 2019: Focus on OpenAI as CEO

In March 2019, Sam Altman left Y Combinator to focus full-time on OpenAI as CEO. By the summer of 2019, he had helped raise $1 billion from Microsoft.

March 2019: Transition to Chairman of the Board at YC

In March 2019, YC announced Sam Altman's transition from president to chairman of the board, allowing him to focus on OpenAI.

2019: Appointment as CEO of OpenAI

In 2019, Sam Altman became the chief executive officer of OpenAI. He is now considered a leading figure in the AI industry.

2019: Co-founding Tools For Humanity

In 2019, Sam Altman co-founded Tools For Humanity, which builds systems to scan eyes for authentication and verify personhood, compensating participants with Worldcoin cryptocurrency.

2019: Stepping down as President of Y Combinator

In 2019, Sam Altman stepped down as president of Y Combinator.

2020: End of Affiliation with YC

By early 2020, Sam Altman was no longer affiliated with Y Combinator.

March 2021: Co-founding AltC Acquisition Corp

In March 2021, Sam Altman and Michael Klein co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp, a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), where he is also the CEO.

2021: Published "Moore's Law for Everything"

In 2021, Sam Altman published a blog post titled "Moore's Law for Everything", expressing his belief that AI could fund a UBI of $13,500 per year for every adult in the United States within ten years.

2021: Investment in Reddit's Funding Round

Sam Altman invested in Reddit's funding round in 2021.

2022: Stepping down from Reddit board

In 2022, Sam Altman stepped down from the Reddit board.

2022: Invitation to Bilderberg Meeting

In 2022, Sam Altman was invited to attend the Bilderberg Meeting.

March 2023: Capital Provision During Silicon Valley Bank Depositor Run

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 embarked on a world tour, visiting 22 countries and meeting with various leaders and diplomats.

May 16, 2023: Testimony Before the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee

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

November 2023: Brief Dismissal and Reinstatement as CEO of OpenAI

In November 2023, Sam Altman was briefly dismissed from his role as CEO of OpenAI, but he was later reinstated.

November 17, 2023: Removal as CEO of OpenAI

On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's board, including Ilya Sutskever, announced the decision to remove Sam Altman as CEO, citing a lack of consistent candor in communications.

2023: Time's 100 Most Influential People and CEO of the Year

In 2023, Sam Altman was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world and CEO of the Year by Time magazine. He was also on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in AI in 2023.

March 8, 2024: Rejoining OpenAI Board of Directors

On March 8, 2024, OpenAI announced that Sam Altman would rejoin the board of directors after a review by law firm WilmerHale.

May 2024: Oklo Inc. Merger with AltC Acquisition Corp

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

May 2024: Giving Pledge

In May 2024, Sam Altman and Oliver Mulherin committed to giving away most of their wealth by signing the Giving Pledge.

November 18, 2024: Appointment to Daniel Lurie's Transition Team

On November 18, 2024, San Francisco Mayor-Elect Daniel Lurie named Sam Altman to his transition team.

2024: Suggested "Universal Basic Compute"

In 2024, Sam Altman suggested a new kind of UBI called "universal basic compute" to give everyone a "slice" of ChatGPT's computing power.

2024: Time's 100 Most Influential People in AI

In 2024, Sam Altman was on the Time's list of the 100 most influential people in AI.

2024: Reddit IPO

Prior to Reddit's initial public offering in 2024, Sam Altman was listed as its third-largest shareholder, with around nine percent ownership.

April 2025: Stepping down as Chairman of Oklo Inc.

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