Sam Altman
ON THE RECORD · 37 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“I get why people have anxiety. And also if they need to, like, project that anxiety onto someone or have a little bit of relief and poke fun at me, it doesn't bother me.”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-10
Altman commented to CNBC on the upcoming film 'Artificial,' which depicts him and his brief 2023 firing from OpenAI.
“It looks like an awful movie, but I appreciate people's creativity, and I really do support that,”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-10
Altman commented to CNBC on the upcoming film 'Artificial,' which depicts him and his brief 2023 firing from OpenAI.
“speculation about our partnership with Cerebras.”
Sam Altman · said 2026-10-02 · reported 2026-10-02
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded on X to speculation about OpenAI's partnership with Cerebras after a report that Nvidia would power OpenAI's Ultrafast mode.
“Cerebras is a close partner, and we have a deep engagement pushing on the frontiers of speed,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-10-02 · reported 2026-10-02
Altman wrote in a post on X affirming Cerebras as a close partner after a report that Nvidia would power OpenAI's Ultrafast mode for GPT-6.1 Sol.
“a legitimate loss of control”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman raised the possibility of losing control to an AI system during remarks at the developer day event.
“it is going to take us some time to figure out how to make sure that alignment, monitoring, safety, security stay well ahead of capabilities.”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman told reporters that ensuring safety measures stay ahead of capabilities would take time.
“can handle really anything you can think of.”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman repeated this claim about the capabilities of the 'dots' assistant during the developer day event.
“remarkably capable, always-on agents that can handle really anything you can think of.”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
At OpenAI's annual developer day in San Francisco, Altman introduced the new 'dots' AI assistant using this description.
“make confident safety decisions”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman reiterated his decision to delay OpenAI's anticipated stock market debut until the firm can ensure safety.
“I am hopeful that the industry will figure out a more sensible, more pragmatic stance than has been exhibited by some of the members of our industry,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman added that he hoped the industry would adopt a more pragmatic stance, declining to name specific companies or leaders.
“I think it's bad for the world if OpenAI waits too long to go public,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman told reporters he was eager for OpenAI to sell shares in public markets despite delaying the listing.
“You just give your dot a responsibility... and your dots will just get to work and keep working,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman described how users assign tasks to their 'dots' assistants, which then work autonomously.
“I want people to be able to part in the upside of AI.”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman told reporters he wanted people to share in the benefits of AI as the company prepares for a potential blockbuster listing.
“We need to navigate the centrist path,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman told the BBC during a reporter Q&A session amid calls from some researchers for a slowdown in AI development.
“and you can imagine where we have too much concentration of power in a small number of companies or one company or person or country or whatever”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-29 · reported 2026-09-30
Altman added a warning about excessive concentration of power in a small number of companies or entities.
“While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognise the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-04-01 · reported 2026-09-26
Altman wrote in an open letter in April apologising to the Tumbler Ridge community for OpenAI's failure to notify authorities.
“I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-04-01 · reported 2026-09-26
Altman apologised to the victims' families in an open letter in April for OpenAI's failure to alert law enforcement about a flagged ChatGPT account.
“find ways to prevent tragedies like this in the future”
Sam Altman · said 2026-04-01 · reported 2026-09-26
Altman said he would work to find ways to prevent tragedies like the Tumbler Ridge shooting in the future.
“They must be shaped through democratic processes and by governments accountable to the people they serve.”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-24
Altman told UNSC members that AI decisions must be shaped through democratic processes and accountable governments.
“lose control of the future of AI”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-24
Altman told the UNSC that humanity could lose control of the future of AI.
“If AI is to be democratic, the most important decisions cannot be made by labs in San Francisco alone,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-24
Altman told UNSC members that the most important AI decisions must not be made by labs alone.
“We are at a crossroads. One path leads to a world where power is concentrated, decisions are opaque, and people feel that the most important technology of their lifetime is something being done to them. The other path leads to a world where AI works for people,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-23
Altman told the Security Council that one path concentrates power while the other makes AI work for people.
“this moment calls for extreme care.”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-23
Altman addressed the UN Security Council, saying the AI moment calls for extreme care.
“If AI is to be democratic, the most important decisions cannot be made by labs in San Francisco alone. They must be shaped through democratic processes and by governments accountable to the people that they serve,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-23
Altman said important AI decisions must be shaped through democratic processes and accountable governments.
“Beating companies in a competitive race is not a reason to make rash decisions. Nor do we believe we are locked in a race where we are unable to do that. We have unilaterally slowed down in the past. We will do so in the future,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-23
Altman said beating competitors is not a reason for rash decisions and that OpenAI has slowed releases before.
“We now have models capable of discovering knowledge we never had before,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-23
Altman said current AI models are capable of discovering new knowledge.
“We have a choice in front of us. AI can either be more like a new renaissance of creativity and discovery, or more like a new industrial revolution of upheaval and disarray,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-23 · reported 2026-09-23
Altman described AI's future as either a renaissance of creativity or an industrial revolution of upheaval.
“get ahead of alignment and monitoring.”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-19
Altman said OpenAI would welcome a slower development pace to ensure the technology's capabilities do not get ahead of alignment and monitoring.
“I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier. This has been a primary topic of discussions we've had at OpenAI in recent weeks.”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-15
Altman echoed Amodei's sentiment about pacing frontier AI development, writing in response to Amodei's essay.
“This is sort of an important, urgent and in some ways unprecedented moment and I think we really need the government to lead,”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-14
Sam Altman said during a 2023 trip to Capitol Hill that the government needs to lead on AI at an urgent, unprecedented moment.
“given everything happening with safety”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-11 · reported 2026-09-13
Altman said on Friday that listing OpenAI on the stock market would not happen this year given everything happening with safety.
“Right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public,”
Sam Altman · said 2026-09-12 · reported 2026-09-13
Altman said in an interview with Fortune that OpenAI will likely not go public this year due to safety concerns.
“when we’re ready, which is when the business is ready, when we feel ready from what the moment is like in society with this technology.”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-12
Altman insisted OpenAI will go public when the business and society are ready for the technology.
“I actually think that given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public.”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-12
Altman said that given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public.
“I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier.”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-12
Altman posted on X expressing agreement with Amodei's call to pace AI frontier development.
“We’re not rushing into an IPO,”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-12
Altman said OpenAI is not rushing into an IPO and that going public now would be ill-advised given safety concerns.
“I would say not 2026, yeah. We’ve got a lot of stuff to do.”
Sam Altman · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-12
When pressed on timing, Altman indicated the IPO would not happen in 2026.