A Lawsuit Filed by the Sister of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Accuses Him of Sexual Harassment

Content warning: This article mentions allegations of child sexual abuse.

The co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, is no stranger to trouble, legal and otherwise. He made waves in November 2022 after the company debuted ChatGPT. A year after that, Altman was briefly removed from the company amid concerns about how he handled artificial intelligence. His absence didn't last long as investors pressured OpenAI to bring him back.

OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit organization and originally included Elon Musk as one of its board members. However, Musk left in 2018 and has "publicly criticized OpenAI for allegedly abandoning its original mission," per NBC News. In March 2024, the Tesla founder then sued the company and its co-founders claiming breach of contract and fiduciary duty. Then in January 2025, Sam Atlman's sister filed an upsetting lawsuit filled with disturbing allegations. Here's what we know.

Ann Altman, who goes by Annie, filed a lawsuit on Jan. 6, 2025, in which she alleges her brother regularly sexually abused her between the years of 1997 and 2006. She filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri after speaking about the alleged abuse publicly on X (formerly Twitter) in November 2021.

The lawsuit goes into great detail regarding the alleged abuse, which Ann says started when she was 3 and Altman was 12. Per the filing, the abuse happened several times per week and began with oral sex but escalated to penetration. As a result of this, Ann claims she suffers from "severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression, which is expected to continue into the future." Ann has requested a jury trial as well as $75,000 in damages.

Altman released a joint statement on X which was co-signed by his brothers as well as his mother, Connie. He begins by stating that they love Annie and are very concerned about her well-being. "Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult," he writes. "We know many families facing similar struggles understand this as well."

He goes on to say that with the guidance of a mental health professional, they've tried to help Annie numerous times over the years. Ultimately, they said, they were attempting to avoid enabling her "harmful behavior." Altman lays out how they claim to have supported his sister, which includes providing a monthly stipend, paying her bills, helping her find a job, seeking medical help as needed, and purchasing a house through a trust so she couldn't sell it herself.

She also receives monthly financial support from their father's estate, but per the statement, Annie is always asking for more money. The assumption is that when she does not receive any, Annie makes baseless claims. Altman goes on to say that they've tried to refrain from addressing them publicly, but the lawsuit has forced their hands.

In the past, says Atlman, Annie has accused them of keeping their father's money from her, "hacking her wifi, and 'shadowbanning' her from various websites including ChatGPT, Twitter, and more." Altman writes that all of these claims are false and are only causing "immense pain to our family." They ask for understanding and compassion from everyone and said they hope Annie finds peace and stability.