Sam Altman
Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur and investor who co-founded the artificial intelligence company OpenAI and has served as its chief executive officer (CEO) since 2019. During his tenure as CEO he oversaw the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, which became one of the most prominent products of the AI boom. See the OpenAI entry for the company and the GPT entry for its model family.
Career and milestones
- In 2005 he co-founded Loopt, a location-based mobile app, and led it as CEO until the company was acquired by Green Dot Corporation in March 2012. He studied at Stanford University for two years before leaving to work on startups.
- He joined the startup accelerator Y Combinator in 2011 and was its president from February 2014 until 2019.
- He co-founded OpenAI in 2015, then a non-profit research organization, and became its CEO in 2019.
- The landmark moment of his tenure is the release of ChatGPT in November 2022.
- In November 2023, OpenAI’s board removed him as CEO; after strong pushback from employees and investors he was reinstated within five days, and a new board was formed. OpenAI published its review findings on March 8, 2024, stating the review did not find grounds for removal and that he would rejoin the board as CEO.
These milestones follow the English Wikipedia article and OpenAI’s own announcements.
Mention in the show
Sam Altman is not a participant in the episode; the following are the hosts’ remarks. In Weekly #003’s chapter “用 GPT-6 Astra 造数据、训练小模型” (Using GPT-6 Astra to generate data and train small models) of the Chinese transcript, Guizang says “上周那三个就是 Sam、Dario 和马斯克在聊这个减速” — that the three discussed by the hosts last week were Sam, Dario, and Musk talking about slowing down (paragraph) — and relays that “第二天 Sam 赶紧解释，我们不是这个意思” — the next day Sam rushed to explain that was not what they meant (paragraph). Yang Pan adds that OpenAI was about to push a new model. The reported discussion among the three AI company leaders is a host’s retelling.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sam Altman’s role at OpenAI?
He has been OpenAI’s chief executive officer (CEO) since 2019 and rejoined the board of directors as CEO in March 2024, per OpenAI’s announcement.
Is Sam Altman a founder of OpenAI?
Yes, he is one of the co-founders. He was among the original founders when OpenAI was created in 2015 and became CEO in 2019.
What did Sam Altman do before OpenAI?
He co-founded Loopt in 2005 (acquired by Green Dot in 2012), joined Y Combinator in 2011, and served as its president from 2014 until 2019.
Was ChatGPT launched while Sam Altman was CEO?
Yes. ChatGPT launched in November 2022, more than three years into his tenure as CEO.
What happened with OpenAI’s board in 2023?
On November 17, 2023, the board removed Altman as CEO. After employees and investors pushed back, he was reinstated within five days and a new board was formed. OpenAI’s review published on March 8, 2024 found his conduct did not mandate removal.