

Sam Altman’s side hustles blur the line between OpenAI’s interests and his own
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.When Sam Altman was briefly fired, then rehired as OpenAI CEO in 2023, the company’s board of directors had fretted over what little they knew about his personal investments and whether they posed potential conflicts.A newly formed board pledged to fix the problem, but it never went away. As OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, hurtles toward a planned initial public offering this year, valued at around $850 billion, the question persists—how to determine whether decisions serve the company’s best interest or Altman’s.He recently asked OpenAI to lead a funding round for Helion after the nuclear-fusion startup fell behind on promises of a breakthrough energy source and began to run short on cash.
Altman is one of Helion’s largest investors, and a sizable chunk of his net worth is tied up in the company.Altman also sought OpenAI backing for Stoke Space, a rocket-maker aiming to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Altman is a shareholder through Hydrazine, his venture-capital-firm- turned-family-office, according to people familiar with the matter, financial ties that haven’t previously been reported.Neither investment currently represents a core business for OpenAI, which recently told employees the company needs to cut back on side projects and focus on addressing growing competitive pressure.OpenAI’s lead in the AI race is slipping after spending years as Silicon Valley’s darling startup.
Altman, who holds no direct equity in the company, has unloaded many of his managerial responsibilities. Some initiatives he previously championed, including the video-generation app Sora, have been rolled back.OpenAI’s leaders and largest investors say they support Altman, crediting him with the company’s success.
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