OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday (January 7) denied allegations that he sexually abused his sister Ann Altman regularly between the years of 1997 and 2006.
The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri on Monday, alleges that the abuse took place at the family’s home in Clayton, Missouri. It reportedly began when Ann was three and Sam was 12.
The lawsuit claims that “as a direct and proximate result of the foregoing acts of sexual assault,” the plaintiff has experienced “severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression, which is expected to continue into the future.”
Responding to the allegations, Sam said: “…Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, especially Sam.
“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being. Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult,” the boss of the California startup said in a letter co-signed by his mother and two brothers, and published on X.
Earlier, Ann made similar sexual assault allegations against her brother on social media, but this is the first time she’s taken him to court. Ryan Mahoney, whose Illinois-based firm specializes in matters including sexual assault and harassment, is representing her.
Altman Family Backs Sam
Sam gained global recognition with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, sparking a race to advance AI research and development.
A successful entrepreneur and billionaire at 39, Sam is dedicated to developing a “general” AI—one with cognitive abilities akin to humans, designed to benefit all of humanity.
The Altman family has stated that they have been supporting their daughter and sister, covering her expenses and ensuring “monthly financial support, which we expect to continue for the rest of her life.”
The family added, “The worst allegation she has made is that she was sexually abused by Sam as a child… Her claims have evolved drastically over time. Newly for this lawsuit, they now include allegations of incidents where Sam was over 18… All these claims are utterly untrue.”
Sam Altman’s Other Legal Troubles
In March, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, sued OpenAI and its co-founders, Altman and Greg Brockman, accusing them of breach of contract and fiduciary duty. Musk, who now leads the AI startup xAI, was a co-founder of OpenAI when it launched as a nonprofit in 2015. After leaving the board in 2018, Musk has openly criticized OpenAI for straying from its original mission.
Musk’s lawsuit aims to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit entity. In June, he withdrew his initial complaint filed in a San Francisco state court and later refiled it in federal court.
