A Texas man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, according to federal authorities.
Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday afternoon, facing two state counts of attempted murder along with federal charges including possession of an unregistered firearm and attempted destruction of property using explosives. The incident occurred around 4:00 AM local time on Friday when Moreno-Gama allegedly set fire to an exterior gate at Altman's home before fleeing on foot.
"Violence cannot be the norm for expressing disagreement, be it with politics or a technology or any other matter," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "These alleged actions – which damaged property and could well have taken lives – will be aggressively prosecuted."
Authorities say Moreno-Gama attempted to target OpenAI's headquarters approximately one hour after the home attack. Security personnel reported he tried to use a chair to strike the building's glass doors. During the investigation, officers recovered incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, and a lighter from the suspect.
Federal prosecutors revealed that Moreno-Gama was carrying documents advocating against artificial intelligence development, including a section titled "Some more words on the matter of our impending extinction." The materials allegedly called for crimes against AI executives and investors, listing names and addresses of industry figures.
OpenAI confirmed the incident involved Altman's home and issued a statement emphasizing 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."
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins expressed relief that "Mr. Altman, his family, and his employees were uninjured in these attacks and are safe." The FBI conducted a related raid in Texas on Monday.
The attack follows recent heightened scrutiny of Altman's leadership, including a critical profile published last week. Hours after the incident, Altman referenced what he called an "incendiary article about me" and called for de-escalation of rhetoric, though he later expressed regret for linking the article to the attack after social media criticism.
No injuries were reported in either incident, and surveillance camera images reportedly show Moreno-Gama at both locations. The case highlights growing tensions surrounding artificial intelligence development as the industry experiences unprecedented investment and public attention following ChatGPT's 2022 release.