Man arrested after Molotov cocktail attack at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home

Published 11 Apr, 2026 10:55am 2 min read
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman. – Reuters
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman. – Reuters

San Francisco police arrested a person for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO ​Sam Altman’s home and for making threats outside the artificial ‌intelligence startup’s headquarters, the company said on Friday.

In a post on X, the San Francisco Police Department said an unknown male threw an incendiary device at a North ​Beach residence at 4.12am and then escaped on foot.

The ​20-year-old suspect was detained about an hour later after police ⁠received a call about a man threatening to burn down another ​building.

Police did not immediately comment on the suspect’s potential motive.

“Thankfully, no one was ​hurt. We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.

The company is assisting law enforcement ​agencies with their investigation, the spokesperson added.

The incident came as OpenAI ​faces intense pressure.

The company recently faced backlash over its move to strike a deal ‌with ⁠the US government to let it use its technology in classified military operations, after rival Anthropic and Washington got into a dispute.

A recent NBC News poll found that AI is less popular than the US Immigration and Customs ​Enforcement.

Altman addressed the ​incident in a ⁠blog post published on Friday afternoon.

“A lot of the criticism of our industry comes from sincere concern about ​the incredibly high stakes of this technology,” he wrote.

“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 later added.

San Francisco police ⁠said ​officers investigating the fire at Altman’s house found ​signs that the 20-year-old was involved.

For the latest news, follow us on Twitter @Aaj_Urdu. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.