Sam Altman

Sam Altman backed Preventive, a startup aiming to 'correct devastating genetic conditions' before birth through gene editing. The company explored conducting early-stage research in nations with more permissive regulations, with reports indicating the UAE as a possible location. Human embryo editing is currently illegal in the US, UK, and many other countries. Critics warned the project raises profound ethical dilemmas about designer babies, genetic equity, and circumventing regulatory safeguards.

On July 4, 2025, Sam Altman posted that he is 'politically homeless,' criticizing the Democratic Party as having been 'reasonably aligned' with his values when he was 20, 'losing the plot when I was 30, and completely to have moved somewhere else at this point.' The statement came in response to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani saying billionaires should not exist. Altman advocated for 'techno-capitalism' and wrote 'We should encourage people to make tons of money.'

In May 2025 Senate testimony, Sam Altman urged lawmakers to take a hands-off approach to AI, marking a stark reversal from his May 2023 testimony where he proposed a licensing regime for powerful AI systems. In 2025, he called proposals requiring pre-deployment vetting 'disastrous for the industry' and advocated for 'light touch' federal regulation. His 2025 testimony barely mentioned AI safety, in contrast to his 2023 testimony which mentioned safety dozens of times.

In April 2025, Sam Altman resigned as chairman of Oklo Inc., a nuclear energy company he co-founded in 2021 via a SPAC. He stepped down specifically to 'avoid conflict of interest' and 'open up opportunities for future deals between OpenAI and Oklo.' The voluntary recusal was notable given the governance criticisms Altman had faced regarding undisclosed conflicts of interest at OpenAI.

In January 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a personal $1 million donation to Trump's inauguration fund (Jan 3), attended the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol (Jan 20), and the next day stood alongside President Trump at a White House press conference to announce Stargate, a joint venture with Oracle and SoftBank planning to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure. This marked a stark contrast to Altman's 2016 blog post comparing Trump to Hitler.

Sam Altman funded OpenResearch's Unconditional Cash Study, the largest UBI pilot in the United States. Beginning in 2020, 3,000 participants in Illinois and Texas received $1,000 monthly for three years, representing a 40% boost to recipients' incomes. The study published peer-reviewed findings in 2024. Altman has publicly argued that AI-driven job displacement may necessitate universal basic income, and in 2021 proposed that AI could generate enough wealth to pay every US adult $13,500 per year.

In May 2024, former OpenAI board members Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley published an op-ed in The Economist accusing Sam Altman of 'lying' and 'psychological abuse.' An internal 52-page memo documented a 'consistent pattern of lying, undermining his execs, and pitting his execs against one another.' Multiple executives including CTO Mira Murati reported not feeling 'comfortable about Sam leading us to AGI.' Former Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei also described Altman's tactics as 'gaslighting.'

In May 2024, Sam Altman and his husband Oliver Mulherin signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. Altman's estimated net worth exceeds $1 billion. The pledge followed his vocal advocacy for universal basic income and investment in clean energy startups including Helion Energy (fusion) and Oklo (nuclear).

In May 2024, it was revealed that OpenAI used restrictive offboarding agreements that threatened to claw back departing employees' vested equity if they refused to sign lifetime non-disparagement clauses. Altman initially claimed ignorance, stating 'I did not know this was happening and I should have.' However, leaked incorporation documents from April 2023 bearing Altman's signature explicitly authorized the equity clawback provisions, contradicting his denial. Former researcher Daniel Kokotajlo forfeited approximately $2 million in equity rather than sign. OpenAI subsequently confirmed it would no longer enforce these provisions.

In May 2024, OpenAI announced a data licensing partnership with Reddit to train AI on Reddit content. Altman owns approximately 9% of Reddit (invested $60M across multiple rounds, former interim CEO). His stake increased by $69 million following the announcement. OpenAI stated Altman didn't lead the negotiations, but the direct financial benefit from a company business deal represents a significant conflict of interest.

Sam Altman co-founded Worldcoin (rebranded to 'World' in 2024), a cryptocurrency project that scans people's irises in exchange for crypto tokens. The project faced massive global regulatory backlash: banned in Spain, Portugal, Hong Kong, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia; fined in South Korea ($830K) and Argentina ($200K); ordered to delete millions of biometric records in Germany, Kenya, and Thailand. Violations included: scanning minors' irises, failing to obtain informed consent, targeting vulnerable low-income populations with cash incentives, storing biometric data improperly, and deceptive marketing practices. A 2022 MIT Technology Review investigation found the company used deceptive practices and 'collected more personal data than it acknowledged.'

Sam Altman was a significant Democratic donor for years before his 2025 pivot. His contributions included: $200,000 to Biden Victory Fund (2023), $100,000 to Biden Victory Fund (2020), $100,000 each to American Bridge PAC and Senate Majority PAC (2020), $250,000 to Senate Majority PAC (2018), and contributions to Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Andrew Yang during the 2020 primary. His only notable Republican donation was $2,700 to Patrick McHenry in 2018.

On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's board fired Sam Altman, stating he was 'not consistently candid in his communications.' Former board member Helen Toner later revealed specific allegations: Altman didn't inform the board about ChatGPT's launch (they learned from Twitter), concealed his ownership of OpenAI's startup fund, provided inaccurate information about safety processes, and two executives reported 'psychological abuse' with documentation. After 95% of employees threatened to resign, Altman was reinstated on November 22 with a reconstituted board. A later WilmerHale investigation found 'a significant breakdown of trust' but did not publish its full findings.

While serving as an OpenAI board member and claiming to have no financial interest in the company, Sam Altman was listed as the legal owner of the OpenAI Startup Fund. Former board member Helen Toner stated he 'constantly was claiming to be an independent board member with no financial interest in the company' while concealing this ownership. The arrangement was described by OpenAI as temporary, but Altman did not inform the board. This undisclosed conflict was among the factors that led to his firing in November 2023.

On May 16, 2023, Sam Altman testified before the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, advocating for AI regulation. He proposed creating a new federal agency to license AI models above a certain capability threshold, mandatory pre-deployment testing, and independent audits. He cited the International Atomic Energy Agency as a model. He stated 'regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful models.'

Sam Altman held a personal investment in Rain AI, an AI chip startup, while OpenAI in 2019 signed a non-binding letter of intent to spend $51 million on Rain's chips. This represented a potential conflict of interest where Altman would personally benefit from a deal made by the company he led. The conflict was among the governance concerns raised during the November 2023 board crisis.

In October 2016, Sam Altman published a blog post warning that Trump represented 'an unprecedented threat to America' and compared his tactics to Hitler in 1930s Germany, writing 'To anyone familiar with the history of Germany in the 1930s, it's chilling to watch Trump in action... Hitler taught us about the Big Lie.' He urged readers to vote for Hillary Clinton.