Open AI CEO Sam Altman speaks at Moscone Center on June 2, 2025, in San Francisco. After an alleged early-morning attack on his San Francisco home, Altman said Friday that he is reassessing the impact of public rhetoric around artificial intelligence, warning that “words have power.”
Justin Sullivan/TNS
After an alleged early-morning attack on his San Francisco home, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Friday that he is reassessing the impact of public rhetoric around artificial intelligence, warning that “words have power” at a time of rising anxiety about the technology.
“The first person did it last night, at 3:45 am in the morning. Thankfully, it bounced off the house and no one got hurt,” Altman wrote in a blog post published hours after a 20-year-old man allegedly hurled a Molotov cocktail at his house.
Altman suggested the attack may be tied to broader tensions surrounding artificial intelligence and scrutiny of his role in the fast-moving industry.
Article continues below this ad
“Words have power too. There was an incendiary article about me a few days ago,” he wrote. “Someone said to me yesterday they thought it was coming at a time of great anxiety about AI and that it made things more dangerous for me. I brushed it aside.
“Now I am awake in the middle of the night and pissed, and thinking that I have underestimated the power of words and narratives,” he added.
San Francisco Chronicle Logo
Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.
Add Preferred Source
A 20-year-old man was arrested Friday on suspicion of throwing an incendiary device at Altman’s home in the Russian Hill neighborhood and later threatening to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters, according to San Francisco police and jail records.
The suspect, identified in jail records as Alejandro Daniel Moreno-Gama, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, making criminal threats and possession or manufacture of a destructive device. As of Friday afternoon, prosecutors had not filed formal charges.
Article continues below this ad
Firefighters responded shortly before 4 a.m. to reports of a fire at a residence near Chestnut and Jones streets. By the time crews arrived, security personnel had already extinguished flames at an exterior gate, according to police and fire officials. No injuries were reported.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home on Russian Hill in San Francisco, whose driveway is shown Friday, was the target of an incendiary device, police said.
Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle
Authorities said the suspect fled before first responders arrived. Fire crews later found evidence of what officials described as an incendiary device and alerted police.
About an hour later, officers responded to a report of a man making threats near a building on the 1400 block of Third Street in Mission Bay, where OpenAI is headquartered. Police said officers recognized the individual as the same suspect and took him into custody.
OpenAI confirmed that the home belongs to Altman and said the company is cooperating with investigators.
Article continues below this ad
“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody,” said Jamie Radice, an OpenAI spokesperson.
In his post, Altman expanded beyond the incident, describing what he sees as a volatile moment in public discourse around artificial intelligence.
“The fear and anxiety about AI is justified; we are in the process of witnessing the largest change to society in a long time, and perhaps ever,” he wrote.
He urged a lowering of tensions as debate over the technology intensifies.
“While we have that debate, we should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally,” Altman wrote.
Article continues below this ad
Police have not announced a motive. Moreno-Gama remained in custody as of Friday afternoon.
Staff writer Aldo Toledo contributed to this report.