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 CEO of OpenAI since 2019. He is recognized as a prominent figure in the rise of artificial intelligence. Altman's leadership at OpenAI has placed him at the forefront of AI development and its implications, influencing the direction and pace of innovation in the field.

Sections (4)

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

2005: Co-founded Loopt

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

2011: Partner at Y Combinator

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

March 2012: Loopt Acquired by Green Dot Corporation

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

April 2012: Co-founded Hydrazine Capital

In April 2012, Altman co-founded Hydrazine Capital with his brother, Jack Altman. The initial $21 million fund included a large part of the $5 million he got from selling Loopt, but most came from Peter Thiel.

February 2014: President of Y Combinator

In February 2014, Altman became president of Y Combinator, aiming to expand its funding and broaden the types of companies funded, particularly focusing on "hard technology" startups.

2014: President of Y Combinator

In 2014, Altman became the president of Y Combinator, solidifying his position in the startup world.

2014: Interim CEO of Reddit and Investment

In 2014, Altman was the CEO of Reddit for eight days and invested in multiple rounds of funding for Reddit.

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

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

October 2015: Expanded Y Combinator's Scope

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

2015: Concerns about AI Safety

In 2015, Altman stated that they were partly motivated by concerns about AI safety and existential risk from artificial general intelligence, expecting a decades-long project that eventually surpasses human intelligence.

2015: Founded OpenAI as a Nonprofit

In 2015, OpenAI was initially founded as a nonprofit organization by Altman, Greg Brockman, Elon Musk, Jessica Livingston, Peter Thiel, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Infosys and YC Research.

September 2016: President of YC Group

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

March 2019: Left Y Combinator to Focus on OpenAI

In March 2019, Altman left Y Combinator to focus full time as CEO of OpenAI, planning to spend $1 billion "within five years, and possibly much faster".

March 2019: Transition from President to Chairman of the Board at YC

In March 2019, YC announced Altman's transition from president to a less hands-on role as chairman of the board, allowing him to focus on OpenAI.

2019: CEO of OpenAI and Launch of ChatGPT

In 2019, Altman became CEO of OpenAI. He oversaw the successful launch of ChatGPT in 2022.

2019: Co-founded Tools For Humanity

In 2019, Altman co-founded Tools For Humanity, which promoted the Worldcoin cryptocurrency and eye scanning systems.

2019: Appointment as CEO of OpenAI

In 2019, Sam Altman became the CEO of OpenAI, marking a significant career milestone. Since then, he is considered one of the leading figures of the AI boom.

2020: No Longer Affiliated with YC

As of early 2020, Altman is no longer affiliated with YC.

March 2021: Co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp

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

2021: Investment in Reddit

In 2021, Altman invested in multiple rounds of funding for Reddit.

December 2022: Launch of ChatGPT

In December 2022, OpenAI received widespread media coverage after launching a free preview of ChatGPT, a new AI chatbot based on GPT-3.5, receiving over a million signups within the first five days.

2022: Altman's Departure from Reddit Board

In 2022, Altman remained on Reddit's board until that year.

2022: Successful Launch of ChatGPT

In 2022, as CEO, Altman oversaw the successful launch of ChatGPT.

March 2023: Silicon Valley Bank Support and Capital Investment

During the depositor run on Silicon Valley Bank in mid-March 2023, Altman provided capital to multiple startups and invests in technology startups and nuclear energy companies.

May 2023: World Tour

After the success of ChatGPT, Altman made a world tour in May 2023, during which he visited 22 countries and met multiple leaders and diplomats, being named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.

May 16, 2023: Testimony Before Senate Subcommittee

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

November 17, 2023: Removal as CEO of OpenAI

On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's board announced their decision to remove Altman as CEO and Greg Brockman from the board, citing that Altman "was not consistently candid in his communications."

November 21, 2023: Return to OpenAI

On November 21, 2023, Altman and Brockman returned to OpenAI in their prior roles along with a reconstructed board made up of new members Bret Taylor and Lawrence Summers, with D'Angelo remaining.

2023: Ousted and Reinstated as CEO of OpenAI

In 2023, Altman was ousted from his role as CEO of OpenAI by the company's board due to a lack of confidence in his leadership. However, he was reinstated five days later following significant backlash from employees and investors, after which a new board was formed.

2023: Hydrazine's Fourth Fund

In 2023, when Hydrazine launched its fourth fund, the University of Michigan endowment was the only outside investor.

May 2024: Oklo Inc. Became Public

In May 2024, Oklo Inc. completed a merger with AltC Acquisition Corp to become a public company.

April 2025: Stepped Down as Chairman of Oklo

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