Man charged after Molotov cocktail attack on OpenAI CEO's home
Daniel Moreno-Gama faces federal charges after allegedly throwing an incendiary device at Sam Altman's San Francisco home and threatening OpenAI headquarters.
A Texas man has been charged with federal crimes after allegedly attacking the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with a Molotov cocktail and threatening the company's headquarters, according to court documents.
Daniel Moreno-Gama is accused of throwing the incendiary device at Altman's residence around 4 a.m. Friday, igniting an exterior gate before fleeing on foot. Less than an hour later, authorities say Moreno-Gama went to OpenAI's headquarters and threatened to burn down the building.
When arrested Friday, officials found documents on Moreno-Gama expressing opposition to artificial intelligence and its executives, according to the criminal complaint. The documents referenced AI's alleged risks to humanity and "impending extinction," court filings state. Investigators also discovered he had compiled a list of other AI technology executives.
FBI agents raided Moreno-Gama's home in Spring, Texas, a Houston suburb, on Monday morning, spending several hours at the residence. He faces charges including possession of an unregistered firearm and destruction of property by means of explosives.
Following the attack, Altman posted a photo of his family on social media, writing that he hoped sharing the image "might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house." He acknowledged that "fear and anxiety about AI is justified" but called for de-escalating rhetoric and tactics.
AI advocacy groups condemned the violence. Anthony Aguirre of the Future of Life Institute stated that "violence and intimidation of any kind have no place in the conversation about the future of AI."