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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is one of the most influential people in the tech world, and he has now revealed the 17 habits and tips that he wishes someone had told him before he earned his billions.
While becoming successful enough to reach billionaire status requires an incredible amount of luck and often the right circumstances, many of the world's wealthiest individuals put their achievements down to often simple habits that you too can replicate.
This can take form in something as simple as starting the morning right if you're Jeff Bezos, and someone like Elon Musk has a very specific approach and ruleset when it comes to meetings at his companies.
Sam Altman, however, has 17 different things that he wishes someone had told him when he was on the come up, and the ChatGPT CEO has thankfully shared every single one with us so we too can take advantage of his advice.
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Sam Altman literally shared the habits that make billionaires pic.twitter.com/kcqQ0TwFFF
— Aadit Sheth (@aaditsh) August 11, 2025
Of course, Altman isn't technically anywhere near as rich as the aforementioned Bezos and Musk, as he currently sits in 'only' 1871st place on the Forbes billionaire list with a net worth of 'just' $2.1 billion, but that's more to do with how he earns money from his role at OpenAI.
Altman only earns a base salary at OpenAI and holds no equity in the company that is now worth around $80 billion, and instead earned the vast majority of his fortune from investment stakes in companies like Stripe, Reddit, and Helion.
Returning to his life tips though, they range between specific examples and general advice, with points like "communicate clearly and concisely" mixed in with wishes that he's concentrated his resources "on a small number of high-conviction bets" which are "easy to say but evidently hard to do."
Some fascinating points in reference to how Altman has perhaps achieved his success include assertions that "long-term orientation is in short supply; try not to worry about what people think in the short term, which will get easier over time."
Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015, initially discussing what he called a 'Manhattan Project for AI', and it took seven years for the company to release ChatGPT which has now obviously become the world's leading AI model.
"It is easier for a team to do a hard thing that really matters than do an easy thing that doesn't really matter," Altman also writes, and this could very much link in with the long-term thinking that, while difficult, often pays off in the future.
He also asserts that "fast iteration can make up for a lot," adding that "it's usually OK to be wrong if you iterate quickly," and that has definitely been a key part of ChatGPT's development as it has encountered a number of problems along the way that have typically been swiftly adapted by its developers, including alarmingly sycophantic behavior and alienating language following a new release.
Some aren't quite as convinced as you might think with Altman's 'path to greatness' though, especially when it comes to emulating the success that the billionaire has managed to achieve.
"If you read this as a 'how to become a billionaire' guide it will suck," one commenter on Reddit claims, "but as overall advice, I'd say this is really good."
Another comment offers an even harsher assessment, writing that "there are only two components in a secret formula – born in a rich family & get lucky. You can season it with any bulls*** you like."
