Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and a prominent figure in the technology industry, has seen a meteoric rise to fame following the success of ChatGPT. At this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Altman is a leading attraction, drawing attention for his insights on various topics including AI's potential impact on elections and the urgent need for an energy "breakthrough" to support a world increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence. He also discussed the advent of artificial general intelligence (AGI), predicting its arrival in the not-too-distant future.
Despite his newfound star status, Altman prefers not to dwell on the recent controversy surrounding his temporary removal from OpenAI and subsequent return. In conversations with Bloomberg, he redirected questions about the incident towards more substantial topics like AGI and its implications.
Altman's influence extends beyond OpenAI; he co-founded WorldCoin, invests through his fund Hydrazine Capital in multiple startups such as Helion Energy, Cruise, Boom Aviation, and Retro Biosciences, among others. His rumored side ventures, which reportedly involved fundraising for AI chip and hardware companies, were speculated to be part of the reason behind his brief ousting from OpenAI's board.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a strong supporter of Altman, has publicly expressed his confidence in both Altman and OpenAI during their joint appearances at Davos events. Meanwhile, Altman's personal soap opera continues to draw interest despite his desire to move past it.
In other business news, payments company Onbe is reportedly seeking a buyer, potentially fetching over $2 billion. Additionally, Microsoft's venture capital arm, M12, now has a larger investment budget of $275 million for the current fiscal year. Furthermore, several startups across industries ranging from video game development and clinical care AI to renewable energy and electric motors have secured funding rounds. Lastly, there are several notable acquisitions and IPO announcements, including Accenture's acquisition of Impendi and BrightSpring Health's plans for an initial public offering.