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. “Because the amount of stuff you can build… the opportunity space is so incredibly wide.”