Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a key figure in the AI startup boom, surprisingly does not own equity in his company, despite its huge success with over 700 million weekly users via ChatGPT. Earning only $76,001 annually, he stated at the DealBook Summit that OpenAI was his “childhood dream job.” Altman’s decision to forgo equity was linked to preserving a majority disinterested board for nonprofit status.
Though speculation exists about future equity opportunities, Altman has dismissed the idea of a “giant equity stake.” With a personal wealth of around $2 billion from earlier investments in startups like Stripe and Reddit, he has leveraged his financial independence to focus on building OpenAI rather than financial gain. As the company transitions from nonprofit to for-profit, potential equity acquisition may be more feasible for Altman in the future, leaving room for speculation about his financial role in the company.
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