Sam Altman · CEO · OpenAI · The WLS 100 · 2026 Edition
Technology
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Inaugural edition 2026 · N. America

Sam Altman

CEO

ChatGPT. Course mondiale à l'IA.

Education
Stanford (dropped)
Organization
Profile

Sam Altman left Stanford to launch his first start-up and later ran the accelerator Y Combinator before taking the helm of OpenAI in 2019, four years after co-founding the research laboratory. The release of ChatGPT in late 2022 turned generative artificial intelligence into a global phenomenon used by hundreds of millions of people, and made him one of the executives most sought out by governments debating how to regulate the technology. He argues for a gradual rollout of increasingly capable AI systems under internationally agreed rules.

Why this selection

He brought generative AI into the daily lives of hundreds of millions of people within months, a measurable impact with few recent equivalents, paired with sustained engagement with regulators worldwide.

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