OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that he is envious of the young entrepreneurs today and he is also a little wistful about the mental space he has lost in building his company — OpenAI. Speaking to The Rundown founder Rowan Cheung a the DevDay conference, Altman praised the present generation of startup founders, mainly those who are skipping college to dive headfirst into innovation. “I’m envious of the current generation of 20-year-old dropouts,” he said. “Because the amount of stuff you can build, the opportunity in this space is so incredibly wide.”For those unaware, Altman dropped out of Standford in 2025 to cofounded the location-sharing startup Loopt and he reflected on how the landscape has shifted dramatically. Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, he said, small teams can now build sophisticated products in a matter of minutes—something that once required large teams and deep pockets.
‘OpenAI is taking over all of my mental space’
Despite being on the top of the list of one of the most influential AI companies in the world, Altman also admitted that his role comes with trade-offs. “The degree to which OpenAI is taking over all of my mental space… I don’t get to go think about how to build a new startup, which is a little bit sad,” he said. Altman’s comment struck a chord with many in the tech community, highlighting the paradox of leading innovation while longing for the creative freedom that once defined his early career.
Lessons from ChatGPT and the power of experimentation
Altman also shared some insights from OpenAI’s journey, mainly the unexpected evolution of ChatGPT. “If you had asked me when we started ChatGPT what our enduring advantages were going to be, I would have said, ‘I have no idea,’” he admitted.He also stressed on the fact that many of the products most impactful features such as like its memory function which emerged from the experimentation rather than strategic foresight. “You start building features and then sometimes something emerges that’s like, ‘Oh, this can be a really durable advantage for us,’” he said.
The rise of teenage founders
Altman’s reflections come amid a broader trend: investors are increasingly backing younger founders. According to TechCrunch, venture capitalist Kevin Hartz has allocated nearly 20% of his fund to teenage entrepreneurs, including one who launched a company before being eligible for a driver’s license. Altman’s message to this new wave of innovators is clear: the tools are more powerful, the barriers are lower, and the moment is ripe.
