10 surprising facts about Sam Altman that will shock you

Sam Altman is best known as the man steering OpenAI into uncharted territory, but his life story is more layered than boardrooms, AI models, and Silicon Valley buzz.

From coding at eight to surviving one of the most dramatic CEO oustings in tech history, Altman’s journey is nothing short of fascinating.

Here are 10 intriguing facts about Altman that reveal the man behind the AI revolution.

Altman learned to code at 8

While most eight-year-olds were mastering video game levels, Altman was figuring out how those games were built.

On a Macintosh SE in suburban St. Louis, he began teaching himself to code. His earliest projects weren’t groundbreaking, simple games and logic puzzles, but they were enough to spark a lifelong passion.

Coding became his way of translating ideas into reality, setting the stage for a career defined by technological innovation.

Revealed his identity at 17

Altman is gay, and first disclosed his sexuality at the age of 17 in high school, where he spoke out after some students objected to a National Coming Out Day speaker.

He dated Loopt co-founder Nick Sivo for nine years. However, later he married Australian engineer Oliver Mulherin in January 2024, at their estate in Hawaii.

Dropped out of Stanford

Altman enrolled in Stanford University’s prestigious computer science programme but lasted only a year before leaving to focus on his startup. For him, the tech world was moving too quickly to stay in lectures. 

Cofounded a startup at just 19

Loopt, a location-sharing app, launched in 2005, years ahead of Facebook’s “check-in” feature or Snapchat Maps.

The app raised $30 million in venture funding before eventually selling to Green Dot for $43 million in 2012. 

Altman used to work under Musk

In OpenAI’s early days, Elon Musk was both a cofounder and a board member, meaning Altman technically answered to him.

However, their personalities clashed; Musk favoured rapid, centralised control, while Altman pushed for openness and caution.

In 2018, Musk had stepped down from the board, and the two took very different paths in AI.

Not addicted to screens

Despite leading one of the most digitally transformative companies in the world, Altman limits his own screen time.

He avoids social media distractions and prefers long walks, deep conversations, and uninterrupted thinking. 

A sci-fi superfan

Altman’s reading list includes classics by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Neal Stephenson.

Far from being escapist, these stories have shaped his thinking about AI ethics, governance, and humanity’s long-term survival. 

He doesn’t believe in unlimited AI access

Altman is a strong advocate for AI safety. He believes certain powerful AI tools, like those enabling deepfakes or autonomous weapons, shouldn’t be freely available. 

Altman was once ousted from OpenAI

In November 2023, Altman was abruptly removed as CEO of OpenAI, allegedly for “inconsistent communication.”

The move sparked an unprecedented revolt: over 700 of the company’s 770 employees threatened to quit, and Microsoft offered him a new role.

However, within days, Altman was reinstated with a restructured board.

Has an introvert personality

It is worth mentioning that Altman isn’t drawn to the Silicon Valley party circuit. He prefers solitude, small gatherings, and time to think deeply about long-term goals.

Altman enrolled in Stanford University’s computer science programme but lasted only a year before leaving to focus on his startup