Early Life and Education
Samuel Harris Altman was born on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri, during his childhood, where he developed an early interest in computers. At age eight, he received his first computer, an Apple Macintosh, and began to learn programming. He attended John Burroughs School and later studied computer science at Stanford University for two years before dropping out in 2005.
Rise to Success
Altman's entrepreneurial journey began in 2005 when he co-founded Loopt, a location-based social networking mobile application. Though Loopt was later acquired, it gave Altman the experience to build a strong business network. In 2011, he joined Y Combinator as a part-time partner and became its president in 2014. During his tenure, Y Combinator supported numerous successful startups. He later co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and became the CEO in 2019.
Key Business Strategies
Altman's wealth stems from his diverse investments, including early stakes in companies like Stripe, Reddit, and Airbnb. He also made significant investments in nuclear fusion company Helion Energy. His investment strategy involves backing innovative startups and identifying transformative technologies. Altman has also diversified his assets across real estate, angel funds, and public equities.
Philanthropy
In May 2024, Altman and his husband, Oliver Mulherin, signed The Giving Pledge, committing to donate a significant portion of their wealth to philanthropic causes.