July 5, 2026, 6:51 am | Read time: 4 minutes
OpenAI is now among the most valuable companies in the tech industry. At the end of February 2026, the company announced that a new funding round had increased its total value to $840 billion, approximately 725 billion euros. At the center of this rise is Samuel “Sam” Altman. The OpenAI CEO is considered one of the most well-known entrepreneurs in the field of artificial intelligence. However, his career has not been without conflicts and public criticism.
Early Enthusiasm for Computers
Sam Altman was born in April 1985 in Chicago and, according to “Britannica,” grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. As a child, he was deeply engaged with technology. According to the online magazine “Business Insider,” he received his first Apple Macintosh at the age of eight. He then taught himself programming and also explored computer hardware. After high school, Altman began studying computer science at Stanford University in 2003. At the same time, he worked in a lab focused on artificial intelligence.
During his studies, Altman frequently played poker. According to him, he learned to make decisions under uncertainty, assess risks, and handle strategic situations.
His interest increasingly shifted to his own business projects. According to “Fortune,” he dropped out of university in 2005 to found the startup Loopt. The associated app allowed users on different mobile platforms to share their location with each other. In 2012, Altman sold the company for $43.4 million.
Shortly before that, he became a partner at Y Combinator. From 2014 to 2019, he led the well-known startup accelerator. According to “Tagesschau,” he supported companies like Airbnb and Stripe during this time. He also served on the board of Reddit from 2014 to 2022 and invested in the security company Okta.
The Rise of OpenAI
Together with Elon Musk, Altman founded the organization OpenAI in 2015, according to “Manager Magazin.” It initially started as a nonprofit. Musk left the project in 2019. That same year, Altman took over the leadership of the for-profit company OpenAI. Microsoft provided $1 billion and access to the Azure cloud platform at that time. In 2020, OpenAI released GPT-3.
The major breakthrough came with ChatGPT in 2022. Within two months, the chatbot gained 100 million users. In 2023, Microsoft invested another $10 billion and integrated ChatGPT into Azure and Office.
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Conflicts at the Company Leadership
In November 2023, a power struggle occurred at OpenAI. The company stated at the time that Altman had not been forthright and dismissed him as CEO. According to “ZEIT,” the conflict was over the direction of OpenAI.
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Altman and Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever reportedly had differing views on whether commercialization or nonprofit goals should take precedence. The board decided on the dismissal. However, after protests from many employees, Altman returned just five days later.
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Criticism of Collaboration with the Department of War
Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term in early 2025, OpenAI and Altman have faced increased criticism. Altman appeared at the White House to present a $500 billion investment in AI technology.
In the spring of 2026, the collaboration with the current “Department of War” sparked discussions. While Anthropic reportedly declined a partnership because Claude should not be used for mass surveillance or military purposes, OpenAI chose to collaborate with the Pentagon. Under the agreement, ChatGPT could be used.
Altman Defends the Decision
After criticism from within the company, Altman admitted mistakes. The deal was “definitely rushed and does not make a good impression.” At the same time, he spoke out against excluding Anthropic. “A good relationship between the government and the companies developing this technology will be crucial in the coming years,” he said.
OpenAI subsequently released an excerpt of the contract. It stated that the technology could be used “for all lawful purposes.” At the same time, the company pointed to existing U.S. laws and guidelines that impose restrictions on the surveillance of U.S. citizens and the use of autonomous weapons.
Nevertheless, the criticism persisted. At times, the Claude app even surpassed ChatGPT in the app charts. For Sam Altman, public debate remains a constant companion alongside economic success.