In April 2025, Sam Altman joked that people saying “please” and “thank you” to ChatGPT cost tens of millions of dollars, adding that it was well spent. This was a humorous reply, not an audited electricity-cost estimate. Visuals are illustrative recreations, not archival footage.
In 2005, Sam Altman cofounded Loopt, a mobile location-sharing startup in Y Combinator’s first batch. Green Dot acquired Loopt in 2012. Visuals are illustrative recreations, not archival footage.
OpenAI launched on December 11, 2015 as a nonprofit AI research organization. Sam Altman was a co-chair and one of its cofounders, alongside a wider founding team. Visuals are illustrative recreations, not archival footage.
OpenAI announced Sam Altman’s departure on November 17, 2023. On November 29, it confirmed his return as CEO with a new initial board: an extraordinary leadership reversal, not a solo rescue story. Visuals are illustrative recreations, not archival footage.