The San Francisco home of Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, was targeted in a Molotov cocktail attack early Friday, the company confirmed, as police announced the arrest of a suspect.
No injuries were reported, and OpenAI declined to say whether Altman was at home at the time of the incident.
Authorities said the motive for the attack, along with subsequent threats to set fire to OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco, remains unclear. Police believe both incidents involved the same 20-year-old suspect.
The attack comes as Altman’s public profile continues to rise alongside the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, which has sparked debate over its potential to disrupt jobs and reshape society.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, officers responded shortly after 4:00 a.m. following reports that an individual had attempted to set fire to a gate at the property.
“Officers learned that an unknown male suspect threw an incendiary device at a home, causing a fire to an exterior gate, before fleeing on foot,” police said in a statement.
A short time later, officers were called to OpenAI’s offices, where a man was reportedly making threats.
“Upon arrival, officers identified the individual as the same suspect from the earlier incident and immediately detained him,” the statement added.
An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed both the attack on Altman’s residence and the threats against the company’s headquarters, noting that the suspect is in custody and the firm is cooperating with law enforcement.
Rising tensions around AI
Altman and OpenAI have increasingly become targets of criticism from groups concerned about the societal risks of artificial intelligence.
Some critics have expressed alarm over OpenAI’s collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, particularly regarding the potential military applications of AI technology.
In a rare post on his personal blog, Altman shared a photo of his husband and their baby, saying he hoped it might “dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house.”
While acknowledging concerns about technology, he called for a more measured public discourse.
“I empathise with anti-technology sentiments… but overall, I believe technological progress can make the future unbelievably good,” Altman wrote.
Rapid growth amid scrutiny
OpenAI’s valuation has surged in recent months, reflecting both the growing demand for AI tools and the high cost of developing them.
Its flagship product, ChatGPT, remains a leader in the consumer AI space, with hundreds of millions of weekly users and tens of millions of subscribers.
The company says usage of ChatGPT’s search features has also grown rapidly over the past year, underscoring the accelerating adoption of AI technologies worldwide.
AFP
