OpenAI CEO Sam Altman advises future innovators on taking risks

In 2005, Altman took a bold step by dropping out of Stanford to launch Loopt, a social networking app focused on location-sharing.

This decision set him on the path to co-founding OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI tool ChatGPT.

Reflecting on his journey during an interview with students at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Altman shared that taking risks felt exciting.

"It seemed like a really fun thing to try," he said, as reported by CNBC Make It.

He explained that he was comfortable with the risk, knowing he could always return to school if things didn't work out.

"The key to risk is understanding that most decisions aren't irreversible," Altman said. "You can try something, and if it doesn’t work, you can backtrack or pivot to something else."

He emphasized that while it’s crucial to assess risks, one shouldn't shy away from them.

"The real risk," he added, "is not pursuing the opportunities that could lead to something great."

Altman pointed out that looking back with regret is a far worse outcome than failure, urging people to prioritize the risks that align with their ambitions: "Years down the road, you don’t want to think, ‘I wish I had gone after that idea.’ So if you feel that way, it’s worth taking the leap."

Altman also advised students and young professionals to be open to non-traditional career paths, noting that the once-reliable formula of going to college, securing a job, and staying in it for life is becoming less certain.

"The traditional path is still there, but it’s facing significant challenges," Altman said.

He believes that the rise of AI will likely bring even more disruption, creating further changes in conventional career trajectories.