TLDR
- A 20-year-old male was arrested after throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home around 4 a.m. Friday
- The device started a fire at an exterior gate but caused no injuries
- About an hour later, the same suspect threatened to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters on Third Street
- OpenAI said property damage was “minimal” and all San Francisco offices remained open Friday
- The attack came days after a major New Yorker investigation portrayed Altman as an untrustworthy leader
A 20-year-old man was arrested Friday after throwing a molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home in San Francisco and threatening to set fire to the company’s headquarters.
OpenAI says its CEO Sam Altman was targeted after someone threw a Molotov cocktail at his home
The company confirmed the suspect is in custody pic.twitter.com/FS5tVbx8S6
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) April 10, 2026
The incident happened at around 4 a.m. local time in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood. The suspect threw an incendiary device at Altman’s home, which started a fire at an exterior gate.
No one was injured. OpenAI confirmed the attack in a statement to Forbes, saying property damage was “minimal.”
San Francisco police responded to a second incident roughly an hour later. A suspect threatened to burn down a building on the 1400 block of Third Street. OpenAI’s headquarters are located at 1455 Third Street.
Officers identified the second suspect as the same person from the earlier attack at Altman’s home. He was detained and charges are still pending. The investigation is ongoing.
OpenAI sent a memo to staff confirming both incidents. The company said all of its San Francisco offices were open Friday and that police and security presence around its buildings had been increased.
“Early this morning, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s home and also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters,” an OpenAI spokesperson said. “Thankfully, no one was hurt.”
Altman Responds to the Attack
Altman addressed the incident in a post on his personal blog Friday. He acknowledged that public criticism of the AI industry often comes from “sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology.”
“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,” he wrote.
The attack came just days after the New Yorker published a year-long investigation into Altman. The piece portrayed him as an ethically untrustworthy leader in the AI race.
Recent Pressure on OpenAI’s CEO
The timing follows growing public and legal pressure on Altman. Elon Musk is also seeking to have Altman removed from OpenAI over fraud claims.
OpenAI confirmed it is cooperating fully with the police investigation. The San Francisco Police Department said charges against the suspect are still pending as of Friday.
The suspect was able to approach Altman’s residence without reported interference before throwing the device. Police have not yet released the suspect’s name or stated a motive publicly.
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