Who is Samuel Harris Altman?
Samuel Harris Altman, born on April 22, 1985, is a prominent American entrepreneur and investor, widely recognized as a leading figure in the AI revolution. He is best known as the CEO of OpenAI, a role he first took on in 2019. Although he briefly stepped away, he was reinstated in November 2023.
Before his tenure at OpenAI, Altman played a pivotal role in the startup ecosystem as the president of Y Combinator (YC) from 2014 to 2019. Under his leadership, Y Combinator supported and funded numerous successful startups, including Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe. His expertise in artificial intelligence, venture capital, and technology innovation has established him as one of the most influential figures in the modern tech industry.
Early Life and Education
Samuel Altman was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, in a Jewish family. His mother was a dermatologist, while his father was a real estate broker. He is the eldest of four siblings, with two brothers, Jack and Max Altman, and a sister, Annie Altman.
At the age of eight, Altman received his first Apple Macintosh computer, which sparked his interest in technology. He attended John Burroughs School, a prestigious private school in Ladue, Missouri. Later, he enrolled at Stanford University to study computer science, but he dropped out in 2005 after two years to pursue entrepreneurship.
Career and Business Ventures
In 2005, at just 19 years old, Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking app. As CEO, he secured over $30 million in venture capital funding. However, despite significant investment, Loopt struggled to gain widespread adoption and was eventually acquired by Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million in 2012.
After Loopt, Altman co-founded Hydrazine Capital with his brother Jack Altman. His association with Y Combinator began in 2011, initially as a part-time partner. By February 2014, he was appointed as president by Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator. Under his leadership, the combined valuation of YC-backed startups surpassed $65 billion.
In 2016, Altman expanded YC's reach, launching initiatives like YC Continuity, a $700 million investment fund for later-stage startups. He also founded Y Combinator Research, a nonprofit research lab, personally donating $10 million to support studies on topics such as basic income, education, and urban development.
In March 2019, he stepped down as YC president to focus on OpenAI. By early 2020, he had completely ended his association with Y Combinator.
In 2019, he co-founded Tools For Humanity, a startup aimed at preventing identity fraud through biometric verification. The company introduced Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency that offers universal basic income in exchange for eye scans.
Samuel Altman and OpenAI
In 2015, OpenAI was established with funding from prominent investors, including Altman, Greg Brockman, Elon Musk, Jessica Livingston, Peter Thiel, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Infosys, and YC Research. The organization initially raised $1 billion to advance research in artificial intelligence.
By March 2019, Altman had stepped down from his leadership role at Y Combinator to focus entirely on OpenAI. Later that year, he played a key role in securing an additional $1 billion investment from Microsoft, reinforcing OpenAI's mission to develop safe and beneficial AI.
In May 2023, Altman testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Privacy, and the Law, addressing concerns about AI regulation and ethical oversight. His leadership continues to shape OpenAI's direction in responsible AI development.
Personal Life and Relationships
Samuel Altman keeps his personal life relatively private. While much of his family background is known, there is little public information regarding his romantic relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. Who is Samuel Harris Altman?
Samuel Harris Altman is an American entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of OpenAI. He is best known for his contributions to the AI industry and startup ecosystem.
Q. How old is Samuel Harris Altman?
Samuel Altman was born on April 22, 1985, making him 39 years old as of 2024.
Q. How tall is Samuel Harris Altman?
Samuel Altman stands at 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 meters).
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