Optimist

Keach Hagey, a Wall Street Journal reporter who covers technology, published this biography of Sam Altman in 2025. It covers his upbringing in St Louis, Stanford, the founding of Loopt, his presidency of Y Combinator, the founding of OpenAI, the November 2023 removal and reinstatement, and his other ventures.

The reference has not verified this recent book's specific claims, sourcing or conclusions, and readers should check them directly rather than rely on this entry. What the author and subject establish is a reported biography by a journalist who covered the technology industry for a major newspaper, drawing on interviews and on reporting conducted during a period when Altman was among the most consequential figures in technology.

The episodes such a biography necessarily covers include: Y Combinator's expansion during Altman's presidency and the changes he made to it; OpenAI's founding as a non-profit and its restructuring into a capped-profit entity; the Microsoft partnership; the release of ChatGPT and the commercial and political consequences; and the board's removal of Altman in November 2023 and his reinstatement within days, which remains the most examined governance event in the industry.

Readers wanting verified accounts of the institutional history should also consult Parmy Olson's Supremacy and Cade Metz's Genius Makers, both of which this reference has assessed and which cover overlapping ground with different emphases.