OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pledges to donate most of his wealth
NEW YORK (AP) — The Giving Pledge announced Tuesday that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has joined its list of wealthy philanthropists committed to donating over half their fortunes.
The move comes after a tumultuous six months for Altman, the co-founder of the San Francisco-based company behind ChatGPT and a venture capitalist who Forbes says amassed much of his $1 billion through investments. His removal and subsequent reinstatement as CEO last November stunned the rapidly commercializing industry as internal conflicts threatened to sink one of the most sought-after voices on artificial intelligence.
Now Altman, who initially founded his company as a nonprofit research lab dedicated to safely building AI for humanity’s benefit, says he wants to focus his philanthropic giving on “technology that helps create abundance for people.”
“We would not be making this pledge if it weren’t for the hard work, brilliance, generosity, and dedication to improve the world of many people that built the scaffolding of society that let us get here,” Altman wrote alongside husband and technology investor Oliver Mulherin in a May 18 Giving Pledge letter.