Who Is Sam Altman's Sister? Annie Altman Accusing OpenAI CEO of Rape

17 hours ago 2

The sister of Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, has accused him of several instances of sexual abuse, including rape.

Annie Altman filed a lawsuit against her brother on January 6, alleging that she was abused repeatedly by Sam when they were children. Sam Altman has strongly denied the accusations with the support of other members of his family.

Newsweek contacted Sam Altman for comment on this story via an email to OpenAI.

Why It Matters

Sam Altman is one of the most prominent figures in artificial intelligence development, thanks to his work with OpenAI and its flagship product ChatGPT. Altman's family have said that allegations like the ones Annie filed have been happening for a several months, but this is the first time they have had any legal ramifications.

What To Know

Annie Altman filed a lawsuit against her brother in a U.S. District Court in Missouri on January 6, alleging that he had repeatedly sexually abused her since she was three years old. At the time, Sam Altman was 12.

The lawsuit alleges that some of this abuse included rape, according to documents seen by the BBC.

Annie Altman requested a jury trial for her brother, along with damages in excess of $75,000.

According to her family, Annie has dealt with "mental health challenges" for several years, and has frequently attacked her brother on social media. Annie is nine years younger than Sam.

In contrast to her brother's focus on the tech industry, Annie has worked as an artist and a podcaster, with AFP reporting that she once supported herself using online sex work.

In a statement written with his mother and two brothers, Sam Altman strongly denied the allegations, describing his sister's claims as "utterly untrue." The other Altmans said that they had been supporting Annie financially and mentally for several years despite erratic behavior, including her claims that her family was hacking her WiFi.

"Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being," the Altman statement read. "Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult."

What People Are Saying

In their statement, Sam, Max and Jack Altman, along with their mother Connie, said: "Over the years, we've tried in many ways to support Annie and help her find stability, following professional advice on how to be supportive without enabling harmful behaviors.

"To give a sense of our efforts, we have given her monthly financial support, directly paid her bills, covered her rent, helped her find employment opportunities, attempted to get her medical help, and have offered to buy her a house through a trust.

"Despite this, Annie continues to demand more money from us. In this vein, Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, and especially Sam. We've chosen not to respond publicly, out of respect for her privacy and our own. However, she has now taken legal action against Sam, and we feel we have no choice but to address this.

"Over the years, she has accused members of our family of improperly withholding our father's 401k funds, hacking her wifi, and 'shadowbanning' her from various websites including ChatGPT, Twitter, and more. The worst allegation she has made is that she was sexually abused by Sam as a child (she has also claimed instances of sexual abuse from others). Her claims have evolved drastically over time. Newly for this lawsuit, they now include allegations of incidents where Sam was over 18.

"All of these claims are utterly untrue. This situation causes immense pain to our entire family. It is especially gut-wrenching when she refuses conventional treatment and lashes out at family members who are genuinely trying to help.

"We ask for understanding and compassion from everyone as we continue to support Annie in the best way we can. We sincerely hope she finds the stability and peace she's been searching for."