Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI the firm behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, has been accused of sexually abusing his sister for straight nine years from 1997 to 2006. He is facing a lawsuit by his sister Annie Altman. In the lawsuit, his sister Annie said that the abuse began when she was three years old and continued for years at their home in Missouri. According to the victim, the abuse happened multiple times a week, which. The lawsuit mentions that it resulted in serious emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression to the victim. Consequently, Annie has demanded a jury trial and $75,000 damages on grounds of personal injury.
Sam Altman has vigorously denied the charges levelled against him, calling them “completely false.”
Taking to X, the OpenAI CEO posted a statement. His family members including his mother, Connie Altman, and his two younger brothers, Max and Jack Altman, have come out in his support.
In their statement, the family wrote that they are worried sick over Annie, especially considering the effort required to help a member who suffers from mental illness. The Altman family also emphasised the efforts they had made to support Annie financially, such as paying her rent and promising to assist her in finding a home via a trust so that she could be secure.
Even with these efforts, the Altman family reportedly insisted that Annie continued to ask for more financial help and even made malicious accusations against them, especially against Sam. According to Sam’s family, they are forced to raise their voice because of the pending lawsuits.
In November 2021, Annie had also posted similar accusations on social media. According to the allegations, she stated that, at various times, her siblings, especially Sam and Jack, had subjected her to several types of abuse: sexual, physical, emotional, verbal, financial, and technological abuse. At the time, she had not made any legal moves.
The case has just begun, and there have already been many discussions with the public because of the seriousness of the allegations and because Sam Altman was the CEO of OpenAI, the company that produced ChatGPT. The litigation and the assertions of both parties are also likely to intensify public debate.