Sam Altman's sister accuses him of sexual abuse, files lawsuit. OpenAI CEO issues statement

The lawsuit filed by Ann alleges that the OpenAI CEO sexually abused her as a child.

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) addressing allegations made against him by his sister, Ann Altman. Ann has filed a lawsuit accusing her brother of sexually abusing her over a span of years. The claims, which reportedly date back to incidents between 1997 and 2006, were detailed in a report by CNBC.

Altman’s statement, which he said was jointly authored with his mother and brother, denied the allegations. It expressed concern for Ann’s well-being while suggesting her accusations stemmed from mental health challenges.

“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her well-being. Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult. We know many families facing similar struggles understand this well,” the statement began.

The statement outlined the family’s efforts to support Ann over the years, claiming they provided financial assistance, housing support, employment opportunities, and medical help.

“Despite this, Annie continues to demand more money from us. In this vein, Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, and especially Sam. We've chosen not to respond publicly, out of respect for her privacy and our own. However, she has now taken legal action against Sam, and we feel we have no choice but to address this,” the statement read.

My sister has filed a lawsuit against me. Here is a statement from my mom, brothers, and me: pic.twitter.com/Nve0yokTSX

Sam Altman (@sama) January 7, 2025

The lawsuit filed by Ann alleges that the OpenAI CEO sexually abused her as a child, causing her “severe emotional distress, mental anguish, and depression,” effects that she claims persist to this day.

Ann has also made allegations against other individuals in the past and accused her family of improper actions, such as withholding her father’s 401(k) funds, hacking her Wi-Fi, and “shadowbanning” her from various websites, including ChatGPT and X.

The family dismissed the allegations as baseless, stating, “Her claims have evolved drastically over time. Newly for this lawsuit, they now include allegations of incidents where Sam was over 18.”

In their response, the Altman family firmly rejected Ann’s allegations, describing them as “utterly untrue.”

“This situation causes immense pain to our entire family. It is especially gut-wrenching when she refuses conventional treatment and lashes out at family members who are genuinely trying to help,” the statement added.

This lawsuit marks the first time Ann Altman has taken her allegations to court, though she had previously made accusations of sexual assault against her brother. The legal action, as well as the family’s public denial, has placed the case under significant public scrutiny.