SAN FRANCISCO—A 20-year-old Texas man was charged Monday with attempted murder after authorities say he threw a Molotov cocktail at the gate of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home and later threatened to burn down the company’s headquarters. No one was hurt in the attack. Altman’s home sustained minor damage to the gate.
Daniel Moreno-Gama of Spring, Texas, faces state charges including two counts of attempted murder — targeting Altman and a security guard at the residence — as well as attempted arson and explosives-related offenses, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. Hs is also facing federal charges.
The incident occurred about 4 a.m. Friday when Moreno-Gama hurled an incendiary device at the exterior gate of Altman’s home in the Russian Hill neighborhood, according to an FBI affidavit and surveillance video released by authorities. The device started a small fire that quickly extinguished itself with no injuries reported. Less than an hour later, he went to OpenAI’s headquarters about three miles away and threatened to burn down the building and kill anyone inside, court documents say. He was arrested outside the offices.
Moreno-Gama traveled from the Houston area to San Fransico motivated by fears that AI would cause the extinction of humans. Court papers describe a document recovered from Moreno-Gama that included anti-AI writings, a reference to “our impending extinction” and a list of other AI industry executives. One section appeared addressed to Altman, stating “if by some miracle you live, then I would take this as a sign from the divine to redeem yourself.”
In a blog post Friday evening, Altman addressed the incident directly, posting a photo of himself with his husband and young child.
“Normally we try to be pretty private, but in this case I am sharing a photo in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me,” Altman wrote.
He acknowledged that “fear and anxiety about AI is justified” but urged de-escalation.
“We should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally,” Altman added.
OpenAI issued a statement saying it welcomes good-faith debate on AI but that “there is no place in our democracy for violence against anyone, regardless of the AI lab they work at or side of the debate they belong to.”
Moreno-Gama is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in San Francisco. He could face life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges. Authorities are treating the case in part as domestic terrorism.
Author: Mario Lotmore
