San Francisco police arrested a person early on Friday morning for allegedly attacking the house of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and making threats outdoors of the corporate’s headquarters, a spokesperson confirmed to WIRED. OpenAI’s company safety crew despatched a be aware to workers in regards to the incident on Friday.
“At roughly 3:45am PT, an unidentified particular person approached Sam’s residence and threw an incendiary system towards the property. The system landed close by and extinguished. There have been no accidents and solely minimal injury was reported,” the message to employees reads.
“Shortly afterward, a person matching the suspect’s description was contacted by safety outdoors MB1,” the message continues, referring to OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. “This individual made threatening statements in regards to the constructing.”
OpenAI’s company safety crew informed employees it’s cooperating with regulation enforcement on an investigation, and that workers might discover an elevated police and safety presence across the workplace on Friday. The safety crew mentioned that the corporate’s workplaces stay open, however workers had been suggested to “not let anybody tailgate into the constructing.”
The San Francisco Police Division didn’t reply to a request for remark. In a statement shared on social media, the police mentioned that at roughly 4:12 am, officers responded to a fireplace investigation within the North Seaside neighborhood of San Francisco. An “incendiary system” had been thrown at a residential property, which induced an exterior gate to mild on fireplace. The suspect fled on foot.
Lower than an hour later, an individual who police acknowledged as the identical suspect was discovered outdoors of OpenAI’s workplaces threatening to burn down the constructing. Officers detained the suspect, an unidentified 20-year-old male, and arrested him on the scene.
No accidents have been reported, and expenses are nonetheless pending, SFPD mentioned within the assertion.
“Early this morning, somebody threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s dwelling and likewise made threats at our San Francisco headquarters. Fortunately, nobody was damage,” mentioned OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wooden in an e-mail to WIRED. “We deeply respect how shortly SFPD responded and the assist from the town in serving to hold our workers secure. The person is in custody, and we’re helping regulation enforcement with their investigation.”
That is the most recent incident through which OpenAI’s workplace and employees have been threatened. In November of final yr, OpenAI locked down its San Francisco workplace following an alleged menace from an activist. In February 2025, protesters had been arrested for locking the front doors to OpenAI’s workplace.
Lauren Goode contributed reporting.
