Republicans are investigating OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, probing whether his personal investments present any conflicts of interest for the AI behemoth. On Friday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a letter to Altman asking for more information about his investments and details from the audit committee put in place to review any potential conflicts.

Altman’s net worth is about $3.5 billion, according to Forbes estimates. But unlike most CEOs who are heavily invested in their own company, his wealth is tied entirely to his stakes in hundreds companies including Reddit, Stripe and Helion. Altman famously has no equity in OpenAI, but according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, asked OpenAI to lead a funding round for nuclear fusion startup Helion into which he’s personally invested $375 million back in 2021. (OpenAI did not fund Helion but agreed to buy power from the startup from 2028). He asked OpenAI-backer Softbank to join Helion’s funding round, according to the report.

It’s not an isolated incident: Altman also sought OpenAI’s backing for Stoke Space, a SpaceX rival in which he is a shareholder, according to the WSJ report. Lack of clarity around Altman’s personal investments was cited as one of the reasons for his brief ouster in 2023.

Scrutiny into Altman’s investments comes amid an ongoing high-stakes trial against Musk, who alleges Altman and other OpenAI cofounders deceived him when they transitioned OpenAI from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure to raise more funding. Testifying on Tuesday, Altman rejected Musk’s claims and said Musk wanted total control of OpenAI and proposed merging the company with Tesla.

In case you missed it, Forbes published its eighth annual AI 50 list, with sponsoring partner Mayfield, that highlights the most promising privately held AI companies in the world.

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