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SAN FRANCISCO — A man has been arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the company said.
No one was hurt, according to the San Francisco Police Department and OpenAI.
The incident unfolded around 4 a.m. Friday when someone “threw an incendiary destructive device” at the Russian Hill house, which sparked a fire on an exterior gate, police said.
The suspect fled on foot, but police said his description was dispatched to officers.
Around 5 a.m., officers responded to OpenAI’s headquarters where a man was allegedly threatening to burn down a building, and they “recognized the male to be the same suspect from the earlier incident,” police said.
The 20-year-old suspect was arrested and charges are pending, police said.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office told News that it could be next week until decisions are made on whether it’s a local or federal case and charges are filed.
Sources briefed on the investigation told News that investigators are trying to understand the incident and motive. It’s not yet clear if it was a mental health incident, a disgruntled current or former employee or some form of domestic terrorism, the sources said.
The company said the situation is under control and there is no immediate threat to its offices.
“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe,” OpenAI said in a statement. “We’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”
Altman responded to the incident in a lengthy blog post on Friday, in which he shared a photo of his family “in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me.”
He said that amid debates on the Artificial General Intelligence industry, “we should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”
The SFPD’s Special Investigations and Arson Units are leading the investigation, the company said. The FBI said it’s aware of the incident and is working with San Francisco police.
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