All people
AI era (2012-present)
Sam Altman
born 1985
CEO of OpenAI; previously president of Y Combinator.
Contributions
- 01Backed early OpenAI as YC president; became CEO when the nonprofit-to-capped-profit transition completed.
- 02Led the ChatGPT launch in November 2022 that defined the consumer AI category.
- 03Public commentator on AGI timelines, AI economic impact, and energy infrastructure.
Why it matters for lab economics
Altman's executive role is the single most-watched indicator of the strategic posture of the largest US AI lab. His public statements on capacity, timeline, and economics are load-bearing inputs into the Pere lab-economics model.