A screen displays OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaking during the 2026 Infrastructure Summit of government officials, corporate executives, and labor leaders, in Washington, March 11, 2026.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
A man was arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home and then threatening to burn down the artificial intelligence company’s San Francisco headquarters on Friday, police said.
An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the attack in a statement and said, “Thankfully, no one was hurt.”
According to a post on X from the San Francisco Police Department, officers responded to a fire at Altman’s North Beach residence after a suspect threw an “incendiary destructive device” at his home at around 4 a.m. The device caused a fire on an exterior gate and the suspect fled on foot.
About an hour later, officers responded to a man threatening arson at the AI company’s office, recognizing the person as the same suspect from the attack at Altman’s home, according to the statement. Officers arrested the 20-year-old male suspect, with charges still pending.
“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe,” OpenAI said in its statement. “The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”
In a post on his personal blog on Friday, Altman addressed the attack and shared a photo of his family, writing that he “underestimated the power of words and narratives.” He said it has been an “extremely intense, chaotic, and high-pressure few years,” and he called for de-escalation of the “the rhetoric and tactics” within the AI industry.
“A lot of the criticism of our industry comes from sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology. This is quite valid, and we welcome good-faith criticism and debate,” Altman said. “I empathize with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone. But overall, I believe technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine.”
The home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seen from Chestnut Street in San Francisco, April 10, 2026.
Lea Suzuki | San Francisco Chronicle | Hearst Newspapers | Getty Images
The incident lands at a particularly controversial time for Altman and OpenAI.
In February, the company faced scrutiny for striking a deal with the Department of Defense after the Pentagon severed ties with AI rival Anthropic. Activists wrote in chalk at the offices of both company’s, with messages at OpenAI that urged employees to speak out against the deal.
OpenAI and Anthropic are battling for supremacy in the market for large language models. They’re collectively valued at over $1 trillion in the private market and are both pursuing potential IPOs this year, though they’re still burning billions of dollars in cash.
And in a case that’s expected to go to trial later this month, Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and Altman, claiming the company’s CEO “assiduously manipulated” him into donating $38 million on promises that OpenAI would remain a nonprofit. Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 and is seeking to have Altman removed as the company’s CEO as part of the lawsuit.
–CNBC’s Ashley Capoot contributed to this report
WATCH: Elon Musk seeks ouster of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as part of lawsuit
