‘He’s Unconstrained by Truth.’ The Big Takeaway From That Bombshell Profile of Sam Altman

We read a very long article about Sam Altman in ‘The New Yorker’ so you don’t need to. 

BY CHLOE AIELLO, REPORTER @CHLOBO_ILO

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photo: Getty Images

Sam Altman appears to have a complicated relationship with the truth, according to a new profile in The New Yorker.

The story paints a portrait of Silicon Valley’s current golden child, and describes a legacy of flip-flopping on salient issues that began well before his tenure as head of one of the most transformative tech companies in modern history. It also details numerous alleged actions of Altman’s that, while not illegal, tend toward the unscrupulous. The report describes Altman’s history of reversing course on promoting AI safety, attempting to please multiple parties with diverging interests, and redefining power structures when convenient or necessary.

“He’s unconstrained by truth,” a former OpenAI board member told The New Yorker. “He has two traits that are almost never seen in the same person. The first is a strong desire to please people, to be liked in any given interaction. The second is almost a sociopathic lack of concern for the consequences that may come from deceiving someone.”

The story starts in the lead up to Altman’s brief, but high-profile 2023 ouster from OpenAI. Board members, including Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist at the time, were compiling a series of memos about Altman’s tendency toward misrepresenting crucial facts and safety protocols. 

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“Lying,” topped a list, written on one memo, concerning Atlman’s alleged patterns of behavior, according to The New Yorker.

The story then traces back throughout Altman’s career, starting with Loopt, a phone-tracking social media startup he founded in 2005 through Y Combinator. His former employees noted he was generally liked and inspired loyalty in spite of a penchant for exaggeration. Employees at Loopt reportedly requested Altman’s ouster on two separate occasions. The story also notes, however, that Altman maintained a supportive ally in one vocal board member.

At 28, Altman became the president of Y.C., and quickly grew its enrollment. But several years later, partners were reportedly frustrated, alleging Altman made personal investments into the best companies on the side and in some cases blocked outside investment—which Altman has denied. Y.C. co-founder Paul Graham reportedly told colleagues after Altman left the position that, “Sam had been lying to us all the time.” 

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