Sam Altman
American technology entrepreneur and investor, chief executive of OpenAI since 2019, who co-founded Loopt, led Y Combinator, and was briefly removed and then reinstated as OpenAI's CEO in November 2023.
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- Established
- 1985-04-22
- Location
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Country
- United States
- Born
- Samuel Harris Altman, April 22, 1985, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Raised in
- Clayton, Missouri
- Education
- Stanford University (computer science, left without a degree after two years)
- Known for
- Chief executive officer of OpenAI (since 2019); co-founder of Loopt; former president of Y Combinator
- Spouse
- Oliver Mulherin, married January 11, 2024
- Children
- One son, born via surrogacy, announced February 22, 2025
- Reported net worth
- At least $2 billion as of March 1, 2024, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index — attributed to venture capital funds and startup investments; Altman has said he holds no equity in OpenAI itself
Overview
Samuel Harris Altman is an American technology entrepreneur and investor who has been chief executive officer of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI since 2019 (Britannica). Born April 22, 1985, in Chicago and raised in Clayton, Missouri, he studied computer science at Stanford University before leaving without a degree (Britannica). He came out as gay in high school, publicly defending a National Coming Out Day speaker against objections from other students, and later discussed his sexuality more fully in a 2015 blog post and a 2016 New Yorker interview (The Advocate).
Early career
At 19, Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking app; the company was acquired by Green Dot Corporation in 2012 for $43.4 million (Britannica). He joined the startup accelerator Y Combinator part-time in 2011, became its president in 2014 (succeeding co-founder Paul Graham), and left in 2019 to focus full-time on OpenAI (Britannica).
OpenAI
Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab, alongside Elon Musk and others, with roughly $1 billion in funding pledges, and became its chief executive in 2019 (Britannica).
The November 2023 removal and reinstatement
On November 17, 2023, OpenAI’s board voted to remove Altman as CEO. Board member Ilya Sutskever, the company’s chief scientist, voted with the board for the removal but publicly said within days that he regretted his role in it (Axios; Fortune). Over the following weekend, Microsoft announced it had hired Altman to lead a new internal AI research team, and roughly 700 of OpenAI’s 770 employees signed a letter threatening to resign unless the board reinstated him. On November 21, 2023, OpenAI reinstated Altman as CEO under a restructured board chaired by Bret Taylor (NPR).
The Musk lawsuit
Elon Musk, an OpenAI co-founder who left its board in 2018, sued Altman, OpenAI, and Microsoft, alleging that Altman and Greg Brockman committed a “breach of charitable trust” by shifting OpenAI’s mission and assets into a for-profit subsidiary after 2019. On May 18, 2026, a jury unanimously dismissed all of Musk’s claims in under two hours, finding that he had waited too long to sue; the presiding judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, said there was “a substantial amount of evidence to support the jury’s finding.” The jury did not rule on whether a breach of the founding agreement had actually occurred. Musk’s attorney, Marc Toberoff, said the response was “appeal” (NPR).
The 2026 Navier–Stokes claim
In September 2026, OpenAI announced that an internal AI system had produced a proof concerning the Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness problem, one of the Clay Mathematics Institute’s Millennium Prize problems. Altman said the company’s push on the problem began around September 1, 2026, after hearing rumors that rival AI company Anthropic’s models had solved a major math problem (Axios). Further detail on the claim itself and the dispute that followed is covered in the dedicated profile of the event.
Recent public statements
Speaking at the G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on September 2, 2026 — an event also attended by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — Altman said adopting AI is “non-negotiable,” comparing it to the historical adoption of electricity: “Electricity also came with some complexities, and it took a little while to figure out how to make it safe… It would be hard for society to function well without electricity at this point.” (Yahoo Finance UK; event confirmed by Axios)
Wealth
Altman debuted on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on March 1, 2024, with an estimated net worth of at least $2 billion. Bloomberg attributed this largely to a web of venture capital funds and startup investments, explicitly excluding any stake in OpenAI — Altman has repeatedly said he holds no equity in the company itself (Bloomberg).
Personal life
Altman married Oliver Mulherin, an Australian software engineer, in a private beach ceremony in Hawaii on January 11, 2024 (NBC News; SheThePeople). On February 22, 2025, Altman announced on X that he and Mulherin had had their first child, a son born via surrogacy who arrived early and required a NICU stay (VnExpress International).
In January 2025, Altman’s sister, Ann Altman, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri alleging that Altman sexually abused her between 1997 and 2006, when she was a child. Altman, along with his mother, Connie, and his brothers Jack Altman and Max, issued a joint statement denying the allegations as “utterly untrue” (NBC News). In March 2025, Altman filed a defamation counterclaim against her, arguing that social media posts she had made between 2021 and 2024 referencing the alleged abuse contained false statements that damaged his reputation and caused him emotional distress, and that her lawsuit was filed “for the improper purpose of pressuring him to accede to her demands for unrestricted financial support” (Bloomberg).
In March 2026, a federal judge dismissed Ann Altman’s sexual-assault-and-battery claims over the alleged 1997–2006 abuse as time-barred, but ruled that a claim under Missouri’s Child Sexual Abuse statute — which permits certain older abuse allegations to proceed under specific conditions — could go forward (Bloomberg). On April 1, 2026, Ann Altman filed an amended complaint in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, alleging that Altman sexually abused and raped her multiple times between 1997 and 2006 at their family home in Clayton, Missouri, beginning when she was three and he was twelve (Dallas Express). Later that month, both law firms representing her withdrew from the case, citing a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship, while the case remained open in federal court (AP via KFGO).
On April 11, 2026, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the gate of Altman’s San Francisco home, starting a small fire; no one was injured. The suspect, a 20-year-old from Spring, Texas, was arrested after also threatening OpenAI’s nearby headquarters, and was charged in state court with attempted murder and attempted arson and in federal court with explosives offenses. He had written about opposing artificial intelligence and what he called its risk to humanity (NPR).
What this profile does not claim
This profile does not assert the truth or falsity of either side’s claims in the Altman-family litigation: it states that Ann Altman’s abuse allegations were made and are denied by Altman and other family members, that Altman’s own defamation counterclaim against her was filed, and reports the case’s subsequent procedural history (partial dismissal, her amended complaint, and the withdrawal of her legal team) without predicting or asserting an outcome for either her claims or his counterclaim. It does not state Altman’s current net worth — the $2 billion figure is dated to March 2024 and is not updated here. It does not state whether Musk formally filed the appeal his attorney announced, or whether Ann Altman has obtained new counsel since her lawyers withdrew, since no source read for this profile confirms either development. It does not evaluate the correctness of OpenAI’s Navier–Stokes claim; that is addressed in the dedicated profile of that event.
Timeline
- 2005
- At age 19, co-founds Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application.
- 2011
- Loopt is acquired by Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million; the same year, Altman begins working part-time at Y Combinator.
- 2014
- Becomes president of Y Combinator, succeeding co-founder Paul Graham.
- 2015
- Co-founds OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab, alongside Elon Musk and others, with roughly $1 billion in funding pledges.
- 2019
- Leaves Y Combinator to become OpenAI's chief executive full-time.
- 2023-11-17
- OpenAI's board votes to remove Altman as CEO.
- 2023-11-20
- Microsoft announces it has hired Altman to lead a new internal AI research team; roughly 700 of OpenAI's 770 employees sign a letter threatening to resign unless the board reinstates him.
- 2023-11-21
- OpenAI reinstates Altman as CEO under a new board chaired by Bret Taylor.
- 2024-01-11
- Marries Oliver Mulherin in a private beach ceremony in Hawaii.
- 2024-03-01
- Debuts on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with an estimated net worth of at least $2 billion, a figure Bloomberg says excludes any stake in OpenAI.
- 2025-01
- Altman's sister, Ann Altman, files a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri alleging sexual abuse between 1997 and 2006. Altman, his mother, and his brothers publicly deny the allegations.
- 2025-02-22
- Announces on X the birth of his and Mulherin's first child, a son born via surrogacy, saying the baby arrived early and would spend time in the NICU.
- 2025-03-08
- Files a defamation counterclaim against Ann Altman, alleging that social media posts she made between 2021 and 2024 referencing the alleged abuse contained false statements that damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress, and that her lawsuit was filed "for the improper purpose of pressuring him to accede to her demands for unrestricted financial support."
- 2026-03
- A federal judge dismisses Ann Altman's sexual-assault-and-battery claims over the alleged 1997–2006 abuse as time-barred, but rules that a claim under Missouri's Child Sexual Abuse statute, which permits certain older abuse allegations to proceed under specific conditions, may go forward.
- 2026-04-01
- Ann Altman files an amended complaint in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, alleging that Altman sexually abused and raped her multiple times between 1997 and 2006 at their family home in Clayton, Missouri, beginning when she was three and he was twelve.
- 2026-04-11
- A Molotov cocktail is thrown at the gate of Altman's San Francisco home; a 20-year-old suspect is arrested and charged with attempted murder and attempted arson, and separately with federal explosives offenses, after also threatening OpenAI's headquarters.
- 2026-04-27
- The two law firms representing Ann Altman withdraw from her case, citing a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship; the case remains open in federal court as she seeks new counsel.
- 2026-05-18
- A jury unanimously dismisses Elon Musk's lawsuit against Altman, OpenAI, and Microsoft, finding Musk had waited too long to sue over OpenAI's 2019 shift to a for-profit structure; Musk's attorney says he will appeal.
- 2026-09-01
- Altman says OpenAI began an intensive effort on the Navier–Stokes Millennium Prize problem around this date, after hearing rumors that Anthropic's models had solved a major math problem.
- 2026-09-02
- Speaking at the G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Altman says adopting AI is "non-negotiable," comparing it to the historical adoption of electricity.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- Both law firms representing Ann Altman withdrew from her case in April 2026, shortly after she filed her amended complaint; no source read for this profile confirms whether she has since obtained new counsel or the case's status as of this profile's last update. This profile does not state a final outcome for either her claims or Altman's defamation counterclaim.
- Musk's attorney said he would appeal the May 2026 jury verdict; no source read for this profile confirms whether an appeal was formally filed or its status as of this profile's last update.
- This profile does not restate the specific, disputed details of the Ann Altman allegations beyond what is needed to describe the case's existence and procedural history.
- No individually attributed net worth figure more recent than March 2024 was located in a source independent of company or promotional material; no current net worth is stated.
Sources
19 sources (13 tier 1, 5 tier 2, 1 tier 3), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Every source is independent of the subject; no first-party material is cited. See the source policy.
This profile covers Altman's documented public and professional record. The allegations in his sister Ann Altman's lawsuit, her amended complaint, and Altman's own defamation counterclaim against her are all reported here as contested legal matters — the allegations and denials on both sides are stated without prejudging an outcome. No claim about the underlying allegations is asserted as fact.
- Sam Altman Supports: Birth date and place, early move to the St. Louis suburbs, education at Stanford, the founding and 2012 sale of Loopt, his Y Combinator career (2011 part-time, 2014 president, 2019 departure), and OpenAI's 2015 founding and $1 billion in funding pledges.
- OpenAI reinstates Sam Altman as its chief executive Supports: The timeline of Altman's November 17, 2023 removal, Microsoft's November 20 hiring announcement, the near-unanimous employee letter, and his November 21 reinstatement under a new board.
- OpenAI's Sutskever says he regrets board's firing of Altman Supports: Confirming Ilya Sutskever's role on the board that removed Altman on November 17, 2023, and his November 20, 2023 public statement of regret.
- Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI cofounder, deeply regrets ousting Altman, will do 'everything I can' to reunite the company Supports: Sutskever's quote of regret over voting to remove Altman and his role described as the board's "ringleader" in that decision.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman marries partner in seaside ceremony Supports: Confirmation of the marriage to Oliver Mulherin, described as an Australian software engineer, and that the couple split time between San Francisco and a ranch in Napa, California.
- Sam Altman Is a Billionaire Thanks to VC Funds, Startups Supports: The March 1, 2024 Bloomberg Billionaires Index debut, the at-least-$2-billion estimate, its basis in VC funds and startup stakes rather than OpenAI equity, and Altman's own statement that he holds no OpenAI equity.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman denies sister's sexual abuse allegations in lawsuit Supports: The filing of Ann Altman's January 2025 lawsuit, its allegations and requested damages, and the Altman family's joint denial statement.
- Sam Altman Says Sister Defamed Him With False Sex Abuse Claims Supports: Altman's March 2025 defamation counterclaim against Ann Altman over her 2021–2024 social media posts, his attorneys' characterization of her statements as false and damaging, and their contention that her lawsuit sought to pressure him into unrestricted financial support.
- Sam Altman's Sister's Abuse Claims Against Him Dismissed for Now Supports: The March 2026 dismissal of the sexual-assault-and-battery claims as time-barred, and the court's ruling that a claim under Missouri's Child Sexual Abuse statute could proceed.
- Man accused in Molotov cocktail attack of OpenAI CEO's home charged with attempted murder Supports: The April 11, 2026 attack on Altman's San Francisco home, the suspect's identity and charges, that no one was injured, and the suspect's stated anti-AI motive.
- Jury dismisses all claims in Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Supports: Musk's allegations against Altman and OpenAI, the May 18, 2026 jury verdict and its statute-of-limitations basis, the judge's comment, and Musk's attorney's stated intent to appeal.
- OpenAI's historic math solution overshadowed by credit controversy Supports: Altman's own account that OpenAI's Navier–Stokes effort began around September 1, 2026, after hearing rumors of an Anthropic breakthrough.
- Lutnick to host Altman, Huang at G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill Supports: Confirming the September 1-2, 2026 G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Altman's attendance alongside Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
- Sam Altman's Sister Files Amended Lawsuit After Judge Allows Case To Proceed Supports: Ann Altman's April 1, 2026 amended complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, its allegations of abuse beginning when she was three and Altman twelve, and Altman's prior characterization of the claims as false and the lawsuit as extortion.
- Sam Altman's sister loses lawyers in her sexual abuse lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Supports: The April 27, 2026 withdrawal of Ann Altman's two law firms citing a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship, and that the case remained open in St. Louis federal court.
- OpenAI's Sam Altman says AI use is 'non-negotiable' Supports: Altman's direct quote calling AI adoption "non-negotiable" and his comparison of AI to the historical adoption of electricity.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reveals birth of his first child via surrogacy Supports: The February 22, 2025 announcement of the birth of Altman and Mulherin's son via surrogacy, and Altman's own statement about the baby's early arrival and NICU stay.
- Sam Altman on AI, being gay, and being grateful Supports: Altman's coming out in high school by defending a National Coming Out Day speaker against objections, and his 2015 blog post and 2016 New Yorker interview discussing his sexuality.
- Who Is Oliver Mulherin? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Partner Supports: The January 11, 2024 marriage date and that the wedding took place in Hawaii, corroborating NBC News's account.
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