Man Threw Molotov at Sam Altman’s Home, Then Threatened to Burn Down OpenAI, Police Say

A 20-year-old man was arrested Friday after throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home and threatening to burn down the company’s headquarters, according to police and the company.

The man was arrested outside OpenAI’s headquarters in Mission Bay early Friday after threatening to burn down the building, according to the San Francisco Police Department. He is in custody pending charges, and his identity has not been released.

“Early this morning, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s home and also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters,” OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice said. “We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”

Police responded around 4:12 a.m. Friday, to a fire investigation at Altman’s North Beach residence. They found that the Molotov cocktail, an improvised explosive, had caused the gate outside the home to catch fire, but no injuries have been reported, the department said.

The man fled on foot, police said, while a physical description was broadcast to all officers.

Less than an hour later, a man matching the same description turned up outside the company’s headquarters on the 1400 block of Third Street, threatening to burn down the building, according to police.

“When officers arrived on scene, they recognized the male to be the same suspect from the earlier incident and immediately detained him,” SFPD said in a statement.

The department said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

This is a developing story, and it may be updated.