Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, is also the sole owner of the OpenAI Startup Fund, a venture capital fund launched in late 2021 to invest in other AI startups and projects. Despite OpenAI’s partnership with major companies like Microsoft, the ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund is unusual because OpenAI or its affiliated nonprofit foundation does not own it; Altman himself legally owns it. This structure was reportedly chosen to expedite the fund’s launch and was intended to be temporary. Altman’s broader financial dealings include a history of investments in various startups, and while he claims not to have equity in OpenAI, he has been involved in numerous other ventures that could benefit from the AI boom.
Credit: Perplexity AI