Birth and Early Years:
Samuel Harris Altman, known as Sam Altman, was born on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois, into a middle-class Jewish family. His mother, Connie Gibstine, was a dermatologist, and his father, Jerry Altman, a real estate broker, has passed away. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he showed early technological precocity: at eight years old, he received his first computer, an Apple Macintosh, with which he learned to program and dismantle devices. His adolescence was marked by his sexual orientation; at 16, he came out openly as gay, a courageous act within the conservative context of the American Midwest.

Academic Background and First Venture:
He studied at John Burroughs School and later entered Stanford University to study computer science. However, he dropped out in 2005 at the age of 19 to found Loopt, a pioneering mobile geolocation application that allowed users to share their real-time location. The startup received funding from Y Combinator and, although it did not achieve the massive success expected, it was sold in 2012 to Green Dot Corporation for $43.4 million.

Rise at Y Combinator:
After the sale of Loopt, Altman joined Y Combinator (YC), the prestigious startup accelerator, initially as a partner and later as its president in 2014. Under his leadership, YC expanded its reach, investing in companies such as Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe, and launched initiatives like YC Continuity (a $700 million fund) and YC Research, focused on projects related to basic income and urban futures. His vision transformed YC into a hub of innovation, solidifying his reputation in Silicon Valley.

OpenAI and the Artificial Intelligence Revolution:
In 2015, Altman co-founded OpenAI along with Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, and others, with the goal of developing artificial intelligence (AI) in a safe and beneficial way for humanity. As CEO since 2019, he has driven milestones such as the GPT-3, GPT-4, DALL-E, and ChatGPT models, the latter reaching 100 million users just two months after its launch. His focus on ethics and transparency led him to advocate for government regulation, comparing the risks of AI to those of nuclear energy.

In November 2023, Altman was abruptly dismissed as CEO of OpenAI for lack of transparency with the board of directors, but returned days later following massive employee support and a restructuring of the board. This episode reflected internal tensions regarding the company’s ethical and commercial direction, especially after Microsoft’s $10 billion investment.

Investments and Futuristic Vision:
Altman is a prominent investor in sectors such as nuclear energy (chairman of Helion Energy and Oklo), biotechnology (Retro Biosciences), and cryptocurrencies (Worldcoin). His portfolio includes companies like Reddit, Airbnb, and Stripe, and he has donated millions to projects such as Project Covalence during the COVID-19 pandemic. His philosophy combines radical technological optimism with apocalyptic pragmatism: he stores supplies for global crises and advocates preparedness for pandemics or energy collapses.

Personal Life and Controversies:
Altman is a vegetarian, practices meditation, and follows Buddhist teachings. In 2024, he married Oliver Mulherin, an Australian engineer, in a private ceremony in Hawaii. His life has not been free of controversy: in 2024, he faced accusations of unauthorized use of Scarlett Johansson’s voice in an AI project and lawsuits alleging sexual harassment from his sister Ann, which he denied. In addition, critics such as Geoffrey Hinton have accused him of prioritizing profits over safety in the development of artificial intelligence.

Legacy and Perspective:
Altman emerges as a polarizing figure: a visionary to some, a provocateur to others. His essays, such as “Moore’s Law for Everything,” propose that AI could redistribute global wealth, while his public statements blend humility (“ChatGPT is incredibly limited”) with an almost messianic confidence in technological progress. At 39, his influence spans from Silicon Valley to the halls of global power, where he advises political leaders on the future of Artificial Intelligence.

In summary, Sam Altman embodies the duality of contemporary innovation: an architect of tools that promise to transform humanity, yet whose risks demand constant vigilance. His biography, still unfolding, is a testament to how technology redefines not only industries but also the boundaries of ethics and power. These last two issues remain debatable, as in the case of Elon Musk.