OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has come under attack at his San Francisco home, with the tech mogul reportedly being subjected to a fiery barrage from a Molotov cocktail.
While no one was thankfully harmed during the incident, there’s a discussion about the safety of Altman and his family.
There's been a growing divide between those who support AI and its rapid growth, versus those who are increasingly concerned about how it's evolving. Recent conversations involved OpenAI's integration into U.S. defense, while a more recent update has seen the European Union's Digital Services Act dub ChatGPT a "very large search engine." Many have cheered this, meaning OpenAI will have to face new scrutiny and obligations.
Even though Sam Altman continues to be a divisive figure, the attack on his home has seemingly come from nowhere.
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According to The New York Times, a 20-year-old has been arrested after the incendiary device set fire to a perimeter fence and triggered an alarm at Altman's residence. The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that the suspect ran away on foot but was found around an hour later, threatening to set fire to the OpenAI headquarters, which is some three miles away.
Police spokeswoman Allison Maxie reiterated that no one was harmed, and it's unclear whether Mr. Altman was home at the time, while charges against the unnamed suspect were pending. OpenAI also sent a note to its employees, warning that the device had been thrown at Altman's home at around 3:45 a.m. The suspect was then approached by security at OpenAI's headquarters, with the notice telling staff to expect an increased police presence around the building.
Public records state that Altman's compound near the Russian Hill neighborhood includes a property that was bought through a shell company for $27 million in March 2020.
Mayor Daniel Lurie condemned the attack on Altman and added: "We will continue to work every single day to keep everybody safe in our city."
In the aftermath of the incident, Altman shared a photograph of his husband and son alongside a blog post and a caption where he wrote: "I wrote this early this morning and I wasn't sure if I would actually publish it, but here it is."
In the blog, Altman says that although he's normally pretty private, he wanted to share the family 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."
He went on to reveal what he's proud of since helping found OpenAI, as well as admitting some of his mistakes and wishing he'd been less conflict-averse. He even called out Elon Musk amid claims the world's richest man wanted 'unilateral control' over OpenAI.
Appealing to his naysayers, Altman concluded: "A lot of the criticism of our industry comes from sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology. This is quite valid, and we welcome good-faith criticism and debate. I empathize with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone.
"But overall, I believe technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine. While we have that debate, we should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally."