Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur and investor best known for his role as CEO of OpenAI, a position he has held since 2019, aside from a brief dismissal and subsequent reinstatement in November 2023. As a prominent figure in the artificial intelligence boom, Altman has significantly influenced the trajectory of AI development. He is also the chairman of clean energy companies Oklo Inc. and Helion Energy, underscoring his commitment to innovative technologies.

Altman began his career after dropping out of Stanford University, where he co-founded Loopt, a mobile social networking service that raised over $30 million in venture capital. In 2011, he joined Y Combinator, one of the world’s most renowned startup accelerators, becoming its president from 2014 to 2019. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in nurturing numerous successful startups, including Airbnb and Dropbox.

In 2015, Altman co-founded OpenAI, initially backed by a group of high-profile investors, including Elon Musk and Microsoft. Under his leadership, OpenAI raised $1 billion from Microsoft by the summer of 2019, driving advancements in AI technologies like ChatGPT. Altman has been an advocate for responsible AI development, testifying before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law in May 2023 about AI oversight.

Following the success of ChatGPT, Altman embarked on a global tour in May 2023, visiting 22 countries and meeting with world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His efforts to promote dialogue on AI’s impact and potential are shaping the future of technology and its governance on a global scale.