OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he is 'envious' of Gen Z college dropouts who have the 'mental space' and time to build new startups

Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc., during a media tour of the Stargate AI data center in Abilene, Texas, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Credit: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Sam Altman, one of the most powerful leaders in Silicon Valley, is jealous of Gen Z college dropouts. 

“I’m envious of the current generation of 20-year-old dropouts,” the OpenAI CEO told Rowan Cheung during an interview at the DevDay conference on Monday. “Because the amount of stuff you can build… the opportunity space is so incredibly wide.”