Sam Altman, billionaire co-founder of OpenAI – the company that develops ChatGPT, does not use UberBlack taxis, but prefers to use a cheaper taxi than UberX because it is more cost-effective.

Photo: Luxury Launches

In the context of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being a hot topic of the technology field, the ChatGPT chatbot (an application that simulates human conversations through messages or voice communication) has caused a stir. surprise to the world when it hits the public in November 2022.

The popularity of ChatGPT has grown exponentially. The massive growth of OpenAI has catapulted co-founder Sam Altman into a celebrity and one of the most influential people in the tech industry.

In February, Microsoft confirmed it would invest $10 billion in OpenAI, increasing the company’s value to $29 billion. Although no one knows how much Sam Altman’s current net worth is, some newspapers estimate it at around $2 billion.

Photo: Luxury Launches

Although rich, this 38-year-old businessman spends very frugally. He even uses Uber taxis to save on commuting costs. According to Luxury Launches, in 2014, Altman had an article on his personal website, mentioning that using UberX to get around is cheaper than owning a car.

Almost a decade has passed, but Altman’s sensible approach to comparing owning a car to using an Uber taxi still makes sense. In fact, the OpenAI CEO drew on data-driven calculations to conclude the debate about car ownership versus Uber taxi rides.

The Tesla Roadster.

Altman writes, his Tesla Roadster 1 takes an average of 10 USD to charge to cover 320km. Meanwhile, Altman only has to pay about 2 USD / 1.6km if using UberX (this is the price from 2014). While commuting by Tesla is cheaper per kilometer, using Uber’s taxi service is more profitable because the depreciation of electric sports cars is higher.

Altman thinks UberX taxi commuting is more economical and a more practical option, but the entrepreneur is a self-proclaimed car enthusiast. In a previous interview, Altman confessed to owning five sports cars, including two McLarrents and a Tesla Roadster.

Photo: Luxury Launches

Altman became a millionaire before OpenAI became famous. After dropping out of Stanford University, Altman co-founded the social media platform Loopt. After selling the company, Altman joined Y Combinator in 2011 and became its president three years later. Altman also briefly served as the CEO of Redditt. In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI.