The open life of "the father of chatGPT", from a bear child to an entrepreneurial elite

Altman once stated that his life can be divided into two stages: before owning a computer, and after owning a computer.

- Altman -

At a young age, Altman displayed extraordinary intelligence. Like many kids, he loved exploring machines and was curious about information technology and the internet. Fortunately, his parents encouraged him to pursue his interests, and his natural talents allowed him to develop an early interest in the Internet. In the nursery school, he even mastered the area code system of the area where the kindergarten is located, showing a unique talent.

To say when his "strange career" began, it was about when he was 8 years old. In that year, Altman learned to program, and at all costs, even dismantling an Apple Macintosh computer, to gain an in-depth understanding of the computer's structure. In today's eyes, this may be regarded as "naughty", but his parents obviously understood and supported him, which undoubtedly had a positive impact on his later development. Like Bill Gates, Zuckerberg, Musk and others, Altman enjoyed freedom and enlightenment in his family environment, which became one of the boosting factors of his later success.

At the age of 9, he got the first gift in his life - a computer that belonged to him. The $2,200 Mac LC 2 was a recent model from 1992, when it was considered a luxury in the United States. However, it is this computer that has become an important tool for him to closely connect with the outside world, allowing him to deeply explore the world of the Internet.

So, he grew up with this beloved computer, carried his dream together, and led him into the vast field of the Internet.

Dropping out of school does not mean giving up, it is a solid start for a new starting point.

Altman showed a talent in the field of programming since he was a child, and his college time was the beginning of a wider world. After graduating from high school, Altman entered Stanford University to concentrate on artificial intelligence and computer science. Dramatically, however, like many tech industry leaders, he didn't finish college, but dropped out in his sophomore year to start a startup with two classmates. For him, this is another important turning point in his life.

At that time, they developed the mobile phone location application "Loopt", this innovation won 30 million US dollars in venture capital, and made "Loopt" one of the first batch of startups to enter the famous startup incubator Y Combinator.

Altman has since continued to seize the moment, launching OK Cupid, a free dating app. The app's success sparked a buzz in the market, and it was eventually acquired by a Dallas-based company for $50 million. Like Bill Gates, Jobs, Zuckerberg, Musk and others, Altman keenly grasped the entrepreneurial opportunity and strode towards his own entrepreneurial path.

Altman doesn’t often talk publicly about dropping out, but in his Stanford entrepreneurship class, he mentions the campus as a place to build energy for entrepreneurship. Good creativity, high-level vision and rich interpersonal resources are all valuable assets that the campus provides to students. Therefore, his decision to drop out was a combination of timing and chance rather than an inevitable life choice.

Wizards of Silicon Valley? The leader in entrepreneurship!

In 2015, Altman co-founded OpenAI with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Unlike his previous entrepreneurial experience, this company is a non-profit artificial intelligence company that aims to ensure that artificial intelligence does not harm humans.

Altman once discussed with friends how technology can change the way we think about ourselves: "I remember, when Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov in 1997, why didn't anyone care about chess anymore? Now, I'm sorry for our loss to DeepMind." I feel sad because of AlphaGo. I am a part of human being, and I have no good logical reason why I feel so sad, except that humans have lost another ability to surpass machines..." The rapid development of artificial intelligence brings him uneasiness And anxiety, which may also be his original intention to start OpenAI.

After mastering high-tech and creating enough value with it, Altman put his perspective on the "ultimate problem" that concerns all mankind. In addition to OpenAI, he also plans to set up a bioscience research group to develop heterogeneous symbiosis technology to fight aging and death. He also often gathers experts in the fields of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, space travel, robotics, and philosophy to discuss who the "ultimate successor of mankind" is.

For Altman, programming and new technology are tentacles and opportunities to explore the world; they are weapons and challenges to split the thorns in life.