Sam Altman Says Turning Down Goldman Sachs Internship Was A Difficult Call For Him; Claims Students Today Have Many Choices

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is glad he turned down an internship offer from Goldman Sachs during his college years, adding that while the decision felt difficult back then, students today have a much easier path to walk away from such opportunities because artificial intelligence (AI) has made it far simpler to build a company independently.

Altman recalls turning down Goldman Sachs internship

Speaking at the Internapalooza Conference, Altman recalled that during his sophomore year in college, a career at Goldman Sachs was seen as one of the most sought-after paths a student could take. He said he had felt pressured into applying and was pleased when he got in, but ultimately decided against joining. He described being talked into the process by peer pressure at the time.

Altman says investment banking now feels unappealing

Reflecting on his decision years later, Altman said his outlook on investment banking has shifted considerably, noting that the idea of working at Goldman Sachs today "sounds unbelievably terrible" to him. He said many corporate careers tend to be rigidly hierarchical, leaving little scope for people to build something new. According to him, startups offer far more freedom for those who want to create products rather than move up within a traditional corporate structure.

AI has made it easier for students to say no, Altman says

Altman said rejecting a prestigious internship offer was a much tougher call during his own college years, since there were fewer avenues back then for building a company on one's own. He said that dynamic has changed sharply in recent years, pointing out that a student today can build an entire startup largely on their own with the help of AI tools, without needing external validation to be taken seriously. He added that young people can now make real progress in their careers simply by building things independently.