Sam Altman Biography
sam altman biography
Sam Altman, Is one of the most influential figures in the tech and AI world:
Full Name: Samuel Harris Altman
Date of Birth: April 22, 1985
Age: 40 (as of 2025)
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Nationality: American
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Religion: Jewish
Sexual Orientation: Gay
Spouse: Married to Oliver Mulherin since January 2024
Sam Altman Early Life & Education
Sam Altman grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, in a Jewish family. His mother was a dermatologist, and his father worked in real estate. He was the eldest of four siblings. At age 8, he received his first computer—an Apple Macintosh—which sparked his lifelong fascination with technology.
He attended John Burroughs School, a private prep school in Ladue, Missouri. He later enrolled at Stanford University to study computer science but dropped out in 2005 after two years to pursue entrepreneurship.
Sam Altman Career Milestones
Loopt (2005–2012)
At just 19, Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking app. Though it raised over $30 million in venture capital, it failed to gain traction and was acquired by Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million in 2012.
Y Combinator (2011–2019)
Altman joined Y Combinator (YC) in 2011 and became its president in 2014. Under his leadership, YC expanded dramatically, backing companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, and Reddit. He also launched YC Continuity, a $700 million growth-stage fund, and Y Combinator Research, a nonprofit research lab.
OpenAI (2015–present)
In 2015, Altman co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk and others, aiming to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. He became CEO in 2019. In 2023, he was briefly ousted and then reinstated after a dramatic boardroom shake-up.
Under his leadership, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Codex, revolutionizing public access to AI tools. He has been a vocal advocate for AI safety and regulation.
Other Ventures
Chairman of Helion Energy: A nuclear fusion startup
Former Chairman of Oklo Inc.: A nuclear fission company (until April 2025)
Co-founder of Hydrazine Capital: A venture capital firm with his brother Jack Altman
Sam Altman Personal Life
Altman is openly gay and has spoken about the challenges of growing up gay in the Midwest. He came out during high school and has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility in tech.
He married Oliver Mulherin, an Australian software engineer, in a private ceremony in 2024. They live in Russian Hill, San Francisco, and have one child.
Net Worth
As of June 2025, Sam Altman’s estimated net worth is $1.7 billion. Despite his wealth, he has stated that he does not own equity in OpenAI’s capped-profit entity, instead earning a salary and holding investments in other ventures.
Sam Altman Achievements
Sam Altman’s achievements span entrepreneurship, venture capital, artificial intelligence, and clean energy—making him one of the most influential figures in 21st-century technology. Here’s a full breakdown of his accomplishments as of 2025:
OpenAI & Artificial Intelligence
CEO of OpenAI (2019–present): Altman led OpenAI through the launch of groundbreaking AI models like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Codex, making generative AI accessible to the public.
Reinstated after boardroom ousting (2023): In a dramatic episode, Altman was briefly removed as CEO in November 2023 but reinstated within days after employee and investor backlash.
Global AI Ambassador: In 2023, he embarked on a 22-country world tour, meeting with world leaders to discuss AI safety and regulation.
Named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People (2023 & 2024) and CEO of the Year (2023).
Rejoined OpenAI’s Board of Directors in March 2024 after a governance review.
Sam Altman Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital
Co-founder of Loopt (2005): At age 19, Altman launched a location-based social networking app, which raised over $30 million before being acquired by Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million in 2012.
President of Y Combinator (2014–2019): Under his leadership, YC expanded dramatically, backing companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, and Reddit.
Launched YC Continuity: A $700 million growth-stage fund to support YC alumni startups.
Founded Hydrazine Capital with his brother Jack Altman, investing in early-stage tech ventures.
Sam Altman Clean Energy & Science
Chairman of Helion Energy: A nuclear fusion startup aiming to revolutionize clean energy.
Former Chairman of Oklo Inc.: A nuclear fission company that merged with AltC Acquisition Corp. in 2024.
Honorary Doctorate: Received a Doctor of Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2017 for supporting entrepreneurship.
Sam Altman Recognition & Influence
Businessweek’s Best Young Entrepreneurs in Technology (2008).
Forbes’ Top Investor Under 30 (2015).
Golden Visa from Indonesia (2023): The country’s first 10-year visa was awarded to Altman for his global contributions to AI.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index Debut (2024): Entered the list with an estimated net worth of $2 billion.
Altman’s legacy is still unfolding, but his fingerprints are already on some of the most transformative technologies of our time.