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Sam Altman is building the future and planning for the end
Let’s talk about Sam Altman. You’ve probably heard his name, but do you really know who he is or what he’s planning? I put this together, so next time he comes up, you’re not just in the loop, you’ve got something smart to say.
He’s 40, born in Chicago, worth well over a billion dollars and cruises around in $27 million McLaren P1s. I’ve seen one of them parked outside a restaurant in Montecito. Sam and his Aussie husband, Oliver Mulherin, welcomed their first child, a baby boy, in February 2025.
💰 His tech start
He dropped out of Stanford after two years to launch Loopt, a location-sharing app that sold for $43.4 million in 2005. That win put him in the right rooms. He went on to fund early rounds for companies you’ve definitely heard of: Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe. He got a piece of each.
In 2015, he cofounded OpenAI with Elon Musk. Musk bailed in 2018 after clashing over the company’s direction. Altman took the helm as CEO in 2019 and became the face of AI. That nearly unraveled in 2023, when OpenAI’s board abruptly fired him. Five days, one employee revolt and a full-blown tech soap opera later, he was back and the board was out.
He once said a psychedelic retreat in Mexico cured his anxiety.
🤖 AI takes the lead
Altman has made one thing very clear. AI will surpass human intelligence soon. Not in 100 years. Not 50. He says it could happen within a few years.
In his words: “I think the median user will start to experience AGI-level capabilities in five years.” When he testified before Congress in 2023, he warned that “AI could cause significant harm to the world” if we don’t act fast.
He’s talking about superintelligence. Machines that don’t just match us, but outperform us in every way. Solving scientific mysteries. Curing diseases. Writing symphonies. No burnout, no sleep, no moral compass.
But intelligence isn’t wisdom. These systems don’t feel anything. No love, no fear, no empathy. And without that? They don’t know when to stop.
🪪 Give me your eyeballs
Here’s where it gets weird. Altman also runs Tools for Humanity, the company behind World ID, a system that uses a literal silver orb to scan your eyeball and confirm you’re human. Because if AI gets too smart, we’ll need proof we’re not bots.
So yes, he’s helping build the tech that could outpace humanity … and also the system that verifies we’re still real. Genius? Satire? Both?
He says it’s about fairness in the AI age. But asking us to stare into a metal ball to keep our digital lives intact? Feels a little like locking the door after you’ve already released the velociraptors.
🧳 He’s got a backup
Altman’s not naïve. He’s a known doomsday prepper. In interviews, he’s mentioned stockpiling supplies and buying land in remote locations, just in case things go sideways.
He’s building a future where AI might save us. But he’s also preparing for the one where it doesn’t.
☝️ I bet you know at least one person who needs to know this, too. Use the share icons now to share your newfound brilliance.
Tags: future, husband, OpenAI, Sam Altman, tech
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