Sam Altman
Business Leader5 list appearances
Education (Stanford Dropout): Attended John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri. Enrolled at Stanford University in 2003 to study computer science, dropping out after two years in 2005 to co-found location-based social networking app Loopt (funded by Y Combinator's inaugural summer 2005 batch; acquired by Green Dot for $43.4M in 2012). Y Combinator President (2014–2019): Handpicked by Paul Graham to succeed him as President of Y Combinator in February 2014 at age 28, scaling the accelerator's portfolio valuation past $150 Billion (Airbnb, Stripe, DoorDash, Coinbase, Reddit). Holds an ~8.7% stake in Reddit from early seed funding. OpenAI & The November 2023 Coup: Co-founded OpenAI in December 2015 alongside Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, and Ilya Sutskever as a non-profit AI safety research lab. Restructured OpenAI into a capped-profit entity in 2019 to secure $13 Billion in Microsoft compute capital, releasing ChatGPT on 30 November 2022 (reaching 100M users in two months). On 17 November 2023, the non-profit OpenAI board abruptly fired Altman, citing lack of consistent candor; following a near-total employee revolt (700+ staff threatening to join Microsoft), Altman was reinstated five days later on 22 November 2023. Key investor in nuclear fusion startup Helion Energy ($375M), longevity biotech Retro Biosciences ($180M), and Worldcoin (Tools for Humanity). Married Australian software engineer Oliver Mulherin in January 2024.
1-Tap Primary Ranking Ballot
Overview#2 Full List
Does Sam Altman deserve the #2 spot on “Top 10 Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs of 2025”?
#2 Sam Altman?
Verified Entity DossierRanked #2 in Top 10 Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs of 2025
Best Rank
#2
top 3 in 3 lists
Avg Position
#3.4
across 5 lists
Community
Community Darling
top 3 in 3 lists
Strongest in Technology — avg #3.3 across 4 lists
Community Weigh-In & Debate
Should Sam Altman rank Top 3 in Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs of 2025?
Ranked #2 on "Top 10 Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs of 2025". Cast your vote to back or challenge this spot.
Be the first to vote on this ranking.
Most Argued About
“Top 10 Tech CEOs Who Became More Famous Than Their Companies”
Ranks as high as #2 on some lists — but only #5 here. Fans are divided.
See the debate →Also ranked in
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sam Altman's highest community ranking?⌄
Sam Altman is ranked #2 on "Top 10 Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs of 2025" — its best placement across 5 lists on top10grid.com.
How many top-10 lists feature Sam Altman?⌄
Sam Altman appears in 5 lists on top10grid.com, spanning categories including TECHNOLOGY, FINANCE.
Is Sam Altman a controversial ranking?⌄
Yes — community opinion on Sam Altman varies widely. It ranks as high as #2 on some lists and as low as #5 on others, a spread of 3 positions, making it one of the more debated picks on top10grid.com.
What category is Sam Altman most known for on top10grid.com?⌄
Sam Altman appears most frequently in the TECHNOLOGY category, most notably in "Top 10 Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs of 2025".
What the internet says
Structured Facts & Specifications
Verified highlightsBirthplace
Chicago, Illinois (raised in Clayton, Missouri)
stlouis-mo.govOfficial stlouis-mo.gov ↗
Birth Date Age
22 April 1985 (Age: 41 years)
britannica.comOfficial britannica.com ↗
Net Worth Range
$2.0 Billion – $2.2 Billion (derived entirely from venture investments in Stripe, Reddit, Airbnb, Helion Energy; holds zero direct OpenAI equity)
forbes.comOfficial forbes.com ↗
Category
AI executive, venture capitalist & startup accelerator leader
Full Legal Name
Samuel Harris Altman
Birth Date & Age
22 April 1985 (Age: 41 years)
Official Website
Appears in 5 lists Community Darling
- #2
Top 10 Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs of 2025
Technology - #3
Top 10 Most Powerful Tech CEOs of 2026 — The People Reshaping Civilization
Technology - #3
Top 10 Most Controversial Tech CEOs
Technology - #4
Top 10 Most Successful CEOs of 2025
Finance - #5
Top 10 Tech CEOs Who Became More Famous Than Their Companies
Technology
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