Twitch Co-Founder and OpenAI Interim CEO Emmett Shear: His Story, Salary, and Net Worth Revealed

Emmett Shear is one of the most influential and successful internet entrepreneurs and investors in the world. He is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Twitch, the leading live video platform for gamers and creators. He is also a part-time partner at Y Combinator, the prestigious startup accelerator that helped launch companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe. He is currently the interim CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company that aims to create a general and benevolent AI.

But how much do you know about Emmett Shear’s personal and professional life? How did he start his journey as an entrepreneur? How much does he earn and what is his net worth? What are his educational background, partner, family, and age? In this article, we will answer all these questions and more, based on the information available on the web. We will also provide you with 10 most asked questions and answers about Emmett Shear at the end of the article.

Early Life and Education

Emmett Shear was born in 1983, which makes him 40 years old as of 2023. He grew up in Seattle, where he attended the Evergreen School for Gifted Children. There, he met his eventual co-founder Justin Kan at age 8, and the two were bonded by their accelerated math classes and playing Magic: The Gathering.

Shear received a Bachelor of Science with a major in computer science in 2005 from Yale University, which he attended with Kan and his eventual co-founder Michael Siebel.

Career

Shear, along with Kan, applied to the first class of Y Combinator when they were seniors in 2005. As part of Y Combinator, the two built a calendar application called Kiko, which they eventually sold on eBay for $250,000 after Google Calendar was introduced.

In 2006, the two, along with Michael Seibel and Kyle Vogt, started Justin.tv, a 24/7 live video feed of Kan’s life, broadcast via a webcam attached to his head. Kan’s “lifecasting” lasted about eight months but the four partners decided to transition to providing a live video platform so anyone could publish a live video stream. Launched in 2007, Justin.tv was one of the largest live video platforms in the world with more than 30 million unique users every month until it was shut down on August 5, 2014.

After Justin.tv launched in 2007, the site quickly began building subject-specific content categories like Social, Tech, Sports, Entertainment, News & Events, Gaming, and others. Gaming, in particular, grew very fast and became the most popular content on the site. In June 2011, the company decided to spin off the gaming content under a separate brand and site. They named it TwitchTV, inspired by the term twitch gameplay. It launched officially in public beta on June 6, 2011.

On August 29, 2011, Shear became CEO of the new company. Under his leadership, Twitch grew to become the dominant live streaming platform for gamers and creators, with over 140 million monthly active users, 15 million daily active users, and 4 million unique broadcasters as of 2020. Twitch also expanded its content beyond gaming, to include music, sports, art, and more.

On August 25, 2014, Amazon officially acquired Twitch for a reported $970,000,000. Shear remained as the CEO of Twitch until March 2023, when he announced that he was resigning and Daniel J. Clancy will take over.

Shear became a part-time partner at Y Combinator in June 2011, where he offered advice to the new startups in each batch. He also invested in several companies, such as Cruise, ZenPayroll, and Instacart.

On November 19, 2023, Shear was named as the interim CEO of OpenAI, following the removal of Sam Altman by the board two days earlier. OpenAI is a research organization that aims to create artificial intelligence that

can benefit humanity without causing harm or being influenced by human biases. Shear said that he was honored and excited to lead OpenAI and that he will focus on building a strong team and culture, as well as advancing the research and development of general and benevolent AI.

Personal Life

Emmett Shear is married to Leah Culver, a software engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Pownce, Convore, and Breaker. The couple got engaged in 2017 and tied the knot in 2019. They live in San Francisco with their two dogs, Luna and Pixel.

Shear is also an avid gamer and streamer. He plays games like Dota 2, StarCraft II, and Hearthstone on his Twitch channel, which has over 200,000 followers. He also enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling.

Emmett Shear Salary And Net Worth

Emmett Shear’s net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 billion as of 2023, according to Forbes. He earned most of his wealth from his stake in Twitch, which he sold to Amazon for $970 million in 2014. He also owns shares in other companies that he invested in or co-founded, such as Cruise, ZenPayroll, and Instacart.

Shear’s salary as the CEO of Twitch was not publicly disclosed, but it is likely that he received a generous compensation package from Amazon, which included stock options, bonuses, and other benefits. As the interim CEO of OpenAI, Shear’s salary is also unknown, but it is possible that he is not taking any salary at all, as OpenAI is a non-profit organization that operates on donations from its founders and supporters.

Conclusion

Emmett Shear is a remarkable internet entrepreneur and investor who has made a huge impact on the world of live video streaming, gaming, and artificial intelligence. He co-founded and led Twitch, the leading live video platform for gamers and creators, which he sold to Amazon for $970 million in 2014. He is also a part-time partner at Y Combinator, the prestigious startup accelerator that helped launch companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, and Stripe. He is currently the interim CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company that aims to create a general and benevolent AI.

Shear has a net worth of $1.5 billion as of 2023, according to Forbes. He is married to Leah Culver, a software engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Pownce, Convore, and Breaker. They live in San Francisco with their two dogs, Luna and Pixel.

Most Asked Questions and Answers about Emmett Shear

1. What is Emmett Shear’s age?
   • Emmett Shear is 40 years old as of 2023. He was born in 1983.
2. What is Emmett Shear’s education?
   • Emmett Shear received a Bachelor of Science with a major in computer science in 2005 from Yale University, which he attended with his eventual co-founders Justin Kan and Michael Siebel.
3. What is Emmett Shear’s net worth?
   • Emmett Shear’s net worth is estimated to be around $1.5 billion as of 2023, according to Forbes. He earned most of his wealth from his stake in Twitch, which he sold to Amazon for $970 million in 2014. He also owns shares in other companies that he invested in or co-founded, such as Cruise, ZenPayroll, and Instacart.
4. What is Emmett Shear’s salary?
   • Emmett Shear’s salary as the CEO of Twitch was not publicly disclosed, but it is likely that he received a generous compensation package from Amazon, which included stock options, bonuses, and other benefits. As the interim CEO of OpenAI, Shear’s salary is also unknown, but it is possible that he is not taking any salary at all, as OpenAI is a non-profit organization that operates on donations from its founders and supporters.
5. Who is Emmett Shear’s partner?
   • Emmett Shear is married to Leah Culver, a software engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Pownce, Convore, and Breaker. The couple got engaged in 2017 and tied the knot in 2019.
6. What is Emmett Shear’s family?
   • Emmett Shear’s family consists of his wife Leah Culver, and their two dogs, Luna and Pixel. He also has a brother named Jacob Shear, who is a software engineer and entrepreneur as well.
7. What is Emmett Shear’s current position?
   • Emmett Shear is the interim CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company that aims to create a general and benevolent AI. He was named as the interim CEO on November 19, 2023, following the removal of Sam Altman by the board two days earlier.
8. What is Emmett Shear’s previous position?
   • Emmett Shear was the co-founder and former CEO of Twitch, the leading live video platform for gamers and creators. He co-founded Twitch in 2011 as a spin-off of Justin.tv, a live video platform that he also co-founded in 2006. He remained as the CEO of Twitch until March 2023, when he announced that he was resigning and Daniel J. Clancy will take over.
9. What is Emmett Shear’s Twitch channel?
   • Emmett Shear’s Twitch channel is [eshear], where he streams games like Dota 2, StarCraft II, and Hearthstone. He has over 200,000 followers on his channel.
10. What are some of Emmett Shear’s achievements and awards?
    • Emmett Shear has received several achievements and awards for his work as an entrepreneur and investor, such as:
      • He was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine in 2016.
      • He was included in the 40 Under 40 list by Fortune Magazine in 2015 and 2016.
      • He was honored with the Innovation Award by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in 2014.
      • He was awarded the Crunchie Award for Founder of the Year by TechCrunch in 2014.
      • He was recognized as one of the 30 Under 30 in Technology by Forbes Magazine in 2013.