AI·Sam AltmanSam Altman says colleagues are glad he’s a dad now, because they think raising a child will help him make ‘better decisions for humanity’By Dave SmithBy Dave SmithEditor, U.S.
NewsDave SmithEditor, U.S.
NewsDave Smith is a writer and editor who previously has been published in Insider, Newsweek, ABC News, and USA TODAY.SEE FULL BIO Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, at the AI Action Summit in Paris, Feb.
11, 2025.Nathan Laine—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesOpenAI CEO Sam Altman says becoming a father “totally rewired all of my priorities.” In a Bloomberg TV interview, Altman revealed that people told him they were glad he had a child because they believe it will help him be a better decision-maker.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says his experience of becoming a father earlier this year has foundly affected his outlook and has reframed how he thinks the far-reaching implications of his work in artificial intelligence.
Altman and his husband, Australian software engineer Or Mulherin, welcomed a baby boy in February via surrogacy. Altman and Mulherin, both 40, got married in Hawaii in January 2024.
Speaking with Bloomberg TV’s Emily Chang at OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters in June, Altman described the immediate impact of his new role as a parent.
“I don’t think I have anything non-cliché to say here, but it is the best, most amazing thing ever. And it totally rewired all of my priorities,” he said.
“I remember in the first hour, I felt this neurochemical change, and it happened so fast. I was , ‘Oh, I get to, , observe this. , I am being, , neurochemically hacked, but I’m noticing it happening.
I’m totally fine with it. That’s great.
But everything is going to be different now.’” Chang pressed Altman on how, if at all, the experience of parenthood has changed his perspective on building advanced artificial intelligence.
“A lot of people have said, ‘I’m very happy you’re having a kid, because I think you’ll make better decisions for humanity as a whole,’” Altman said.
“I really wanted to get it right before, and do the best I could. I still really want to now.” His decision-making abilities have been both praised and criticized throughout his tenure as OpenAI’s CEO.
In November 2023, Altman was ousted by OpenAI’s board of directors, who cited a lack of confidence in his leadership and raised concerns his transparency, communication, and the company’s safety cesses.
Former board member Helen Toner alleged Altman withheld information from the board, vided “inaccurate information the small number of formal safety cesses,” and engaged in manipulative behavior and psychological abuse.
However, Altman was reinstated less than a week later after outcry from employees and investors, while a subsequent investigation that his behavior “did not mandate removal.” Despite the controversy, Altman’s boosters say the CEO has been instrumental in driving OpenAI’s financial success, helping it transition from a nonfit re lab to a global leader in artificial intelligence, ushering in commercially successful ducts ChatGPT and forging high-file partnerships, including a landmark multibillion-dollar investment from Microsoft.
Altman’s reflections as a new parent come as OpenAI rapidly expands its ambitions, including the President Trump–backed Stargate initiative, which he called “the biggest infrastructure ject in history” in the Bloomberg interview.
Stargate, for the uninitiated, is OpenAI’s next-generation data-center ject that’s designed to address the surging demand for AI computing power.
It’s envisioned as a cornerstone for the future of AI development, both in terms of scale and nological innovation.
When asked the scale and speed of change in the AI sector, Altman ned the experience to “watching your own kid grow day to day. You just see every change. And so it’s, , not as striking.
It does feel it’s going very fast.” That said, Altman recently admitted AI might be in a bubble, which sent AI stocks reeling for a couple of days.
You can watch the full interview between Sam Altman and Emily Chang below: For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft.
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