Sam Altman's home was attacked with a Molotov cocktail early Friday morning.
According to an internal message OpenAI's corporate security team sent to staff, an unidentified individual approached Altman's San Francisco residence at approximately 3:45 a.m. PT and threw an incendiary device toward the property. The device landed nearby and extinguished on its own. No injuries were reported and damage was described as minimal.
Shortly after, an individual matching the suspect's description was contacted by security outside MB1, OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood, where the person made threatening statements about the building. San Francisco Police took the suspect into custody, and OpenAI says it is cooperating with the investigation.
In the note to employees, the security team asked staff not to let anyone tailgate into the building and warned of increased police and security presence around the office throughout the day. OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood confirmed the incident to Wired, thanking SFPD for their response.
This is not the first time OpenAI's office and staff have been targeted. The company locked down its San Francisco headquarters in November 2025 following a separate threat from an activist, and in February 2025, protesters were arrested for locking the front doors of the office during a demonstration tied to the death of former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji.
The suspect remains in custody. OpenAI's offices stayed open throughout the day, and the company said it is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
According to an internal message OpenAI's corporate security team sent to staff, an unidentified individual approached Altman's San Francisco residence at approximately 3:45 a.m. PT and threw an incendiary device toward the property. The device landed nearby and extinguished on its own. No injuries were reported and damage was described as minimal.
Shortly after, an individual matching the suspect's description was contacted by security outside MB1, OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood, where the person made threatening statements about the building. San Francisco Police took the suspect into custody, and OpenAI says it is cooperating with the investigation.
In the note to employees, the security team asked staff not to let anyone tailgate into the building and warned of increased police and security presence around the office throughout the day. OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood confirmed the incident to Wired, thanking SFPD for their response.
This is not the first time OpenAI's office and staff have been targeted. The company locked down its San Francisco headquarters in November 2025 following a separate threat from an activist, and in February 2025, protesters were arrested for locking the front doors of the office during a demonstration tied to the death of former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji.
The suspect remains in custody. OpenAI's offices stayed open throughout the day, and the company said it is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
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