History of Sam Altman in Timeline
Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur and investor recognized as the CEO of OpenAI since 2019, a leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company. Beyond AI, Altman is also involved in the clean energy sector, serving as chairman of Oklo Inc. and Helion Energy, companies focused on developing advanced nuclear technologies. His leadership roles reflect a focus on innovative and potentially transformative technologies across different sectors.
April 22, 1985: Sam Altman's Birth
On April 22, 1985, Samuel Harris Altman was born. He is an American entrepreneur and investor.
2005: Dropped out of Stanford
In 2005, Sam Altman dropped out of Stanford University after two years of studying computer science, without earning a degree.
2005: Co-founded Loopt
In 2005, at the age of 19, Sam Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application, and became its CEO.
2008: Named "Best Young Entrepreneurs in Technology" by Businessweek
In 2008, Sam Altman was recognized as one of the "Best Young Entrepreneurs in Technology" by Businessweek.
2011: Partner at Y Combinator
In 2011, Sam Altman became a partner at Y Combinator (YC), initially working on a part-time basis.
March 2012: Loopt Acquired 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 firm focuses on early-stage tech investments.
2012: Broke up with Loopt co-founder
In 2012, Sam Altman and his boyfriend, Loopt co-founder Nick Sivo, broke up shortly after the company 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: President of Y Combinator
In 2014, Sam Altman became the president of Y Combinator.
2014: CEO of Reddit and invested in Reddit funding rounds
In 2014, Sam Altman served as the CEO of Reddit for eight days and invested in multiple rounds of funding for Reddit in the years 2014, 2015, and 2021.
July 10, 2015: Steve Huffman returns as CEO
On July 10, 2015, Sam Altman announced the return of Steve Huffman as CEO of Reddit.
October 2015: Announced YC Continuity and Y Combinator Research
In October 2015, Sam Altman announced YC Continuity, a $700 million equity fund. He also introduced Y Combinator Research, donating $10 million of his own funds.
2015: Top Investor Under 30 by Forbes Magazine
In 2015, Sam Altman was recognized as the top investor under 30 by Forbes magazine.
2015: OpenAI Launch and Funding
When OpenAI launched in 2015, it had raised $1 billion.
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 said that he is an apocalypse preparer.
2016: Invited 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 for supporting companies through its Velocity entrepreneurship program.
2018: Political project
In 2018, Altman announced "the United Slate", a political project to improve U.S. housing and healthcare policy.
March 2019: Left Y Combinator to Focus on OpenAI
In March 2019, Sam Altman left Y Combinator to focus full-time on OpenAI as CEO.
March 2019: Transition from President 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: Held fundraiser
In 2019, Altman held a fundraiser at his home for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang.
2019: Sam Altman became CEO of OpenAI
In 2019, Sam Altman became the chief executive officer of OpenAI.
2019: Co-founded Tools For Humanity
In 2019, Sam Altman co-founded Tools For Humanity, a company that builds and distributes systems designed to scan people's eyes for authentication.
2019: Stepped down as president of Y Combinator
In 2019, Sam Altman ended his tenure as president of Y Combinator.
May 2020: Donated 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: No longer affiliated with YC
As of early 2020, Sam Altman was no longer affiliated with Y Combinator.
March 2021: Co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp
In March 2021, Sam Altman co-founded AltC Acquisition Corp, a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), where he is also the CEO.
2021: Moore's Law for Everything
In 2021, Altman wrote a blog post titled "Moore's Law for Everything," expressing his belief that AI could generate $13,500 of yearly UBI in the United States within ten years.
2021: Invested in Reddit funding rounds
In 2021, Sam Altman invested in Reddit's funding rounds.
2022: Invited 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: Testified Before Senate Subcommittee on AI Oversight
On May 16, 2023, Sam Altman testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law about issues of AI oversight.
September 2023: Received Indonesia's First "Golden Visa"
In September 2023, the government of Indonesia issued the country's first "golden visa", a 10-year border pass, to Sam Altman.
November 2023: Brief Dismissal and Reinstatement as CEO of OpenAI
In November 2023, Sam Altman was briefly dismissed and then reinstated as the CEO of OpenAI.
November 2023: Helen Toner explained the board's rationale for firing Altman
In November 2023, former board member Helen Toner explained the board's rationale for firing Altman, stating that Altman had withheld information.
November 17, 2023: Removal as CEO of OpenAI
On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's board announced the decision to remove Sam Altman as CEO, citing that he "was not consistently candid in his communications".
2023: Named One of Time Magazine'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.
January 2024: Married Oliver Mulherin
In January 2024, Sam Altman married engineer Oliver Mulherin at their estate in Hawaii.
March 8, 2024: Rejoined OpenAI Board of Directors
On March 8, 2024, OpenAI announced that Sam Altman would rejoin the board of directors after a review.
March 2024: Debuted on Bloomberg Billionaires Index
In March 2024, Sam Altman debuted on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with an estimated net worth of $2 billion.
May 2024: Oklo Inc. Merger with SPAC
In May 2024, Oklo Inc. completed a merger with AltC Acquisition Corp (SPAC) to become a public company, with Altman remaining as chairman of Oklo.
May 2024: Signed the 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 Psychological Abuse
In May 2024, Sam Altman was accused of lying about awareness of equity cancellation provisions. Former board member also alleged psychological abuse and withholding information.
November 18, 2024: Named to Daniel Lurie's transition team
On November 18, 2024, San Francisco Mayor-Elect Daniel Lurie named Altman to his transition team.
December 2024: Donation to Trump Inaugural Fund
In December 2024, it was reported that Altman would donate $1 million to the Inaugural Fund for President Donald Trump.
2024: Universal Basic Compute
In 2024, Altman suggested a new kind of UBI called "universal basic compute" to give everyone a "slice" of ChatGPT's computing power.
2024: Included in Time's List of 100 Most Influential People in AI
In 2024, Sam Altman was included in Time's list of the 100 most influential people in AI.
2024: Received Xfund Experiment Cup
In 2024, Xfund awarded Sam Altman the annual Experiment Cup at an event at Harvard University.
2024: Reddit Initial Public Offering
Prior to Reddit's initial public offering in 2024, Sam Altman was listed as its third-largest shareholder.
January 2025: Lawsuit alleging sexual abuse
In January 2025, Altman's sister Ann Altman filed a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by Altman.
February 2025: Estimated Net Worth
In February 2025, Sam Altman's net worth was estimated at $1.2 billion.
February 22, 2025: Birth of Son
On February 22, 2025, Sam Altman announced the birth of his son, who was born prematurely, but was doing well.
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