Sam Altman’s Personal Investments Are Under Investigation—He’ll Testify Today At OpenAI Trial

BreakingBusinessSam Altman’s Personal Investments Are Under Investigation—He’ll Testify Today At OpenAI TrialByAlison Durkee,Forbes Staff. Alison is a senior news reporter covering US politics and legal news.Follow AuthorMay 12, 2026, 11:42am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineRepublicans are scrutinizing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s personal investments, with both lawmakers and state attorneys general probing in recent days whether the billionaire executive’s holdings are posing a conflict of interest for OpenAI—as Altman is slated to take the stand Tuesday to separately testify about making OpenAI a for-profit company.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrives to court on April 30 in Oakland, California. Getty ImagesKey FactsThe House Oversight Committee and chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter to Altman on Friday asking for information about potential conflicts of interest regarding OpenAI and what the company is doing to prevent them.The concerns arose out of public reporting and court testimony about Altman, who does not earn any equity from OpenAI itself, but rather has a vast network of personal investments—including in companies that have had ties to OpenAI.Comer’s letter cites reporting from the Wall Street Journal in April that found Altman had pushed OpenAI to invest $500 million in nuclear fusion company Helion, which Altman has himself invested at least $375 million in.Altman’s push for the investment, which ultimately didn’t pan out, “raise[s] concerns … about potential conflicts of interest arising from your use of OpenAI to potentially bolster the value of other companies and startups which you hold a financial stake in,” Comer wrote.Attorneys general from Florida, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, West Virginia and Louisiana also recently wrote to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Journal reports, asking Chairman Paul Atkins to scrutinize Altman’s potential conflict...