- Forbes just declared OpenAI CEO Sam Altman a billionaire.
- Before OpenAI, he was well-known in Silicon Valley as president of startup accelerator Y-Combinator.
- Here’s how the serial entrepreneur got his start — and ended up helming the most-watched AI company.
2024 is shaping up to be a big year for Sam Altman.
He was added to Forbes’ billionaires list in April, marking yet another milestone for the OpenAI CEO.
The 38-year-old entrepreneur has been a household name in Silicon Valley for years now, but the rest of the world is now getting to know him through the success of artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, which launched in 2022.
Although his Microsoft-backed company has grown wildly popular over the last two years, Forbes attributes Altman’s billionaire status primarily to his other investments.
Before the AI boom, Altman spent years as president of startup accelerator Y Combinator, and he owns stakes in Reddit, a nuclear fusion startup known as Helion, and more.
Here’s what Altman’s life and career have been like up until now.
