Anti-AI activist charged with firebombing OpenAI CEO’s home

A 20-year-old suspect has been charged in the California Superior Court after allegedly firebombing the San Francisco home of Sam Altman in the early hours of Friday (10 April).

According to prosecutors, the attacker threw a lit Molotov cocktail at Altman’s property around 3:40 AM, before later targeting OpenAI’s headquarters the same morning.

The reported suspect, Daniel Moreno-Gama, was detained by San Francisco police later in the morning on 10 April and now faces multiple charges, including attempted murder and arson, with authorities describing the incident as a targeted attack motivated by the suspect’s fears about artificial intelligence, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Court filings allege the suspect was carrying writings outlining plans to harm Altman and referencing concerns about AI causing “impending extinction”.

Prosecutors in Moreno-Gama’s case say those materials also included threats toward other tech leaders alongside their addresses. Federal authorities have indicated additional charges, including potential domestic terrorism counts, could follow after a motive is determined.

The situation intensified days later, on Sunday (12 April) when Altman’s home was targeted again in a separate incident involving a reported gunshot fired from a passing car. Two individuals were arrested shortly after.

In response to the attacks, Altman shared a photo of his husband and young child on his blog on 10 April, expressing his hopes in discouraging further violence and reflecting on the real-world consequences of increasingly heated narratives surrounding AI and its future.

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