If Sam Altman wasn’t already the biggest name in Artificial Intelligence last week, he definitely is now. As boss of OpenAI, creators of Chat GPT, Altman leads a firm that has revolutionised how many people work and study – and grapples with the moral questions around their tech. Last week, Altman was suddenly ousted from OpenAI by the board – causing mutiny among staff – and signed up with Microsoft to lead a competitor outfit. Then, just as suddenly, he returned to the top of OpenAI, pledging to work in tandem with Microsoft. But who is Altman, and what is he likely to do next?
Firstly, even in tech circles, Altman has long been known as a dangerously hard worker. At the first start-up he founded, Loopt, he got scurvy from neglecting his diet during long hours of toil – the disease is caused by lack of Vitamin C. Thinking back later, Altman recalled having “bleeding gums” and sore legs, which he claims to have solved with orange juice. It’s telling that one Silicon Valley friend told New York Magazine that Altman is “the most ambitious person I know who is still sane”, while another said he has “an absolutely delusional level of self-confidence”.
