San Francisco police have arrested a 20-year-old suspect after an incendiary device was thrown at the home of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman in the city's North Beach neighbourhood, with further threats reported near the company's headquarters shortly afterwards.
The San Francisco Police Department said in a post on social media platform X that an unknown male threw the device at a North Beach residence at 4:12am before fleeing on foot.
Officers detained the suspect approximately an hour later after receiving a report of a man threatening to burn down another building in the area.
No injuries were reported in either incident.
An OpenAI spokesperson said the company deeply appreciated the speed of the police response and the support of the city in keeping its employees safe, adding that OpenAI is assisting law enforcement with its investigation.
Police did not immediately comment on the suspect's potential motive.
Altman addressed the attack in a company blog post, acknowledging that much of the criticism directed at the AI industry stems from genuine concern about the stakes of the 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 incident comes at a sensitive moment for OpenAI, which has faced heightened public scrutiny following a deal to allow the US government to use its technology in classified military operations.
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The arrangement drew criticism in part because of its contrast with the position taken by rival Anthropic, which refused to permit its technology to be used for autonomous weapons and was subsequently designated a national security supply chain risk by the Pentagon.
A recent NBC News poll found that artificial intelligence is viewed less favourably by the American public than US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement, suggesting the industry faces a broad public trust deficit.
The recap
- Molotov cocktail thrown at Sam Altman's North Beach home
- 20-year-old suspect detained after threats near company headquarters
- OpenAI is assisting law enforcement with the investigation
