An Interview with Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI
By JINMIN LEE ‘26, SAM ALTMAN ‘26
Perhaps you’ve seen him nerding out about Latin with his friends, playing Clash Royale with his less famous counterpart, Jinmin Lee, or walking down the paths with a certain pretentiousness in his gait. But somehow, nobody knew that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI,* attended Phillips Exeter Academy. OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research company with headquarters in San Francisco, California. Aftering its founding in 2015, OpenAI has made significant breakthroughs in technology, creating the (in)famous ChatGPT. If you’ve ever used such an evil tool for any of your assignments, tune in.
Altman reflected on how he got his idea for OpenAI. “It’s a funny story, actually. Most people think that Sam Altman was in a laboratory, but it was actually very simple. As an Exonian, I had to come up with new ideas and resources for assignments. During my prep year, I had no idea what to write for my English narrative. So I thought, ‘Why can’t I use my incredible intelligence to make a bot to help me?’ Anyone who tells you that ChatGPT existed before my prep year is lying.”
Altman shared his experience being a CEO at Exeter. “Whenever I am walking down the paths or any meeting I go in or whenever I’m in class, people make jokes about me being the CEO of OpenAI. But secretly I’m laughing in my mind because, little do they know, I am indeed the founder of OpenAI. I’m the reason why they have ideas for their English and History papers. So I hope people put more respect on my name.”
Altman reminisced about the time he got kicked out of his own company. On November 17th, 2024, Altman was ousted from his company, OpenAI, when the board of directors of OpenAI. A spitefully banished him from his own brainchild. “It was a crisp Friday morning, that fateful November day. My classes were going well and I was looking forward to the weekend. I was especially excited because I was going to meet my board of directors that evening. I was preparing to get on my private jet, but the deans of students didn’t approve my Orah Pass. I told themher that I was the literal CEO and founder of OpenAI, but theyshe still denied me. So, when the media yaps about how I was not handling artificial intelligence safety well, don’t trust them—it was the Orah Pass. But, I persevered and got back on top. Such is the life of an Exonian.”
Altman warned of the “singularity point,” a moment in the nearclose future when AI becomes more intelligent and autonomous than human beings. “The end times are coming. They have been coming for a while now, and my genius and intelligence have been a mere stepping stone on the way to them. Soon enough, my empire will spawn an AI, the likes of which we have never seen before. You think ChatGPT is powerful? You haven’t seen half of it. I know who you are. Every deepest, darkest question you’ve asked to my AI has been recorded. You’re cooked. BWAHAHAHAHAHA—” Altman bellowed as he hung up the phone.
*The association with the true CEO of OpenAI are fictitious and products of the authors’ imagination
