History of Sam Altman in Timeline
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.
April 22, 1985: Samuel Altman's Birth
On April 22, 1985, Samuel Harris Altman was born. He is now known as a technology entrepreneur and the CEO of OpenAI.
2005: Co-founding Loopt
In 2005, Sam Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application.
2005: Dropping out of Stanford University
In 2005, after two years at Stanford University studying computer science, Sam Altman dropped out without earning a bachelor's degree.
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.
2012: Breakup with Nick Sivo
In 2012, Sam Altman broke up with Loopt co-founder Nick Sivo after dating for nine years, shortly after Loopt was acquired.
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.
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: Apocalypse Preparer
In 2016, Sam Altman described himself as an apocalypse preparer, stating he owns guns, gold, potassium iodide, antibiotics, batteries, water, gas masks from the Israel Defense Forces, and land in Big Sur.
2016: Invitation to Bilderberg Meeting
In 2016, Sam Altman was invited to attend the Bilderberg Meeting.
2017: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Waterloo
In 2017, Sam Altman received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo in Canada for supporting companies through its Velocity entrepreneurship program.
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: Fundraiser for Andrew Yang
In 2019, Sam Altman held a fundraiser at his home in San Francisco for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
2019: Stepping down as President of Y Combinator
In 2019, Sam Altman stepped down as president of Y Combinator.
May 2020: Donation to American Bridge 21st Century
In May 2020, Sam Altman donated $250,000 to American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC supporting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
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.
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.
September 2023: Golden Visa from Indonesia
In September 2023, the government of Indonesia issued its first "golden visa", a 10-year border pass, to Sam Altman.
November 2023: Helen Toner's Explanation of Altman's Firing
In May 2024, former board member Helen Toner explained the board's rationale for firing Sam Altman in November 2023, citing withheld information and reports of psychological abuse.
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: Involvement in Dean Phillips' Challenge to Joe Biden
In 2023, Sam Altman was involved in boosting Representative Dean Phillips as he prepared a challenge to President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.
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.
January 2024: Marriage to Oliver Mulherin
In January 2024, Sam Altman married engineer Oliver Mulherin at their estate in Hawaii. They reside in San Francisco and often spend weekends in Napa, California.
February 2024: Musk Sues OpenAI and Altman
In late February 2024, Elon Musk sued OpenAI and Sam Altman, alleging breach of the company's founding agreement. A few days later, OpenAI executives, including Altman, dismissed these claims, stating that Musk only provided $45 million of a promised $1 billion and had proposed merging OpenAI with Tesla.
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.
March 2024: Debut on Bloomberg Billionaires Index
Sam Altman debuted on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index in March 2024 with an estimated net worth of $2 billion, primarily from his venture capital funds related to Hydrazine Capital.
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.
May 2024: Accusations of Lying and Equity Cancellation Provision
In May 2024, Sam Altman was accused of lying about awareness of equity cancellation provisions for departing employees who didn't sign non-disparagement agreements.
June 2024: Investment Portfolio Value and Conflict of Interest Questions
As of June 2024, Sam Altman's investment portfolio includes stakes in over 400 companies, valued at around $2.8 billion. Questions have been raised about potential conflicts of interest due to some of these investments intersecting with companies doing business with OpenAI.
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.
December 2024: Reported Donation to Donald Trump Inaugural Fund
In December 2024, it was reported that Sam Altman would donate $1 million to the Inaugural Fund for President Donald Trump.
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: Xfund Experiment Cup Award
In 2024, Xfund awarded Sam Altman the annual Experiment Cup at an event at Harvard University.
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.
January 2025: Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Filed by Sister
In January 2025, Ann Altman filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging sexual abuse by Sam Altman starting when she was 3 and he was 12. Sam Altman, along with his mother and brothers, denied the allegations.
February 22, 2025: Birth of Son Announced
On February 22, 2025, Sam Altman announced the birth of his son.
March 20, 2025: Fundraiser for Senator Mark Warner
Sam Altman is set to host a fundraiser in San Francisco on March 20, 2025, for Senator Mark Warner, who is up for re-election in 2026 in Virginia.
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.
April 2025: Chairman of clean energy companies Helion Energy and Oklo
Sam Altman served as chairman of clean energy companies Helion Energy and Oklo until April 2025.
May 2025: Estimated Net Worth
As of May 2025, Sam Altman's net worth was estimated at $1.5 billion.
2026: Senator Mark Warner re-election
In 2026, Senator Mark Warner is up for re-election in Virginia.
Mentioned in this timeline
Elon Musk is a prominent businessman best known for leading...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr is an American politician who served...
San Francisco is a major commercial financial and cultural hub...
Andrew Yang is an American entrepreneur attorney lobbyist political commentator...
Hawaii is a U S island state located in the...
Trending
46 minutes ago Alisha Lehmann's Swiss team suffers shocking 7-1 defeat against U15 boys before Euro 2025.
46 minutes ago Alex Eala to Face Varvara Gracheva in Eastbourne Open Semifinals Showdown
47 minutes ago Sarah Sherman's SNL Checks Mistakenly Sent to Gilda Radner's Estate: A Sobbing Revelation
3 hours ago Investment report on Limbach, Babcock International price trend analyzed, stock analysis
4 hours ago Tom Hanks Makes Cameo in Chet Hanks' Music Video, Son Hilariously Complains
4 hours ago Charli XCX joins Dua Lipa on stage in London for surprise performance.
Popular
Sergio Gor is a Maltese American businessman and political operative...
Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet from the Sun...
Cristiano Ronaldo often called CR is a Portuguese professional footballer...
A blue moon is defined in several ways most commonly...
Donald John Trump is an American politician media personality and...
John M Keane is a retired American general formerly the...