Sam Altman Home Hit With a Molotov Cocktail. Here’s What We Know So Far

Police say the suspect was arrested within an hour after allegedly threatening to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters.

BY LEILA SHERIDAN, NEWS WRITER

Sam Altman in Washington, DC. Photo: Getty Images

Earlier today, the San Francisco Police Department arrested a 20-year-old man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of Sam Altman, an incident that marks a sharp escalation in a series of recent threats targeting the company and its leadership.

“At approximately 3:45am PT, an unidentified individual approached Sam’s residence and threw an incendiary device toward the property. The device landed nearby and extinguished. There were no injuries and only minimal damage was reported,” a message to staff said, according to WIRED.

The device—a hand-thrown incendiary weapon typically made from a glass bottle filled with flammable liquid with a cloth fuse that is lit before being thrown—burned part of an exterior gate before the suspect fled on foot. He was located and arrested roughly an hour later, just after 5 a.m., after allegedly threatening to burn down OpenAI’s headquarters, according to The New York Times.

No injuries have been reported, and it remains unclear whether Altman was home at the time of the attack. Allison Maxie, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, said charges are pending against the suspect, whom authorities have not yet publicly identified.

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OpenAI’s corporate security team told employees it is cooperating with law enforcement and warned that staff may notice an increased police presence around the office. Employees were also advised not to allow unauthorized individuals to “tailgate” into the building, according to WIRED.

An OpenAI spokesperson told WIRED, “We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”

The incident is the latest in a string of disruptions and threats involving OpenAI. In November, the company temporarily locked down its San Francisco office following an alleged threat from an activist. In February 2025, protesters were arrested after blocking access to the company’s offices, WIRED reported. 

The attack comes just days after OpenAI revealed new projections for its growing advertising business, underscoring how quickly the company is expanding beyond its core AI products. OpenAI expects to generate $2.5 billion in ad revenue this year, with projections climbing sharply over the next several years as it scales its models to a global user base, according to Axios. The push into advertising marks a significant shift for the company and places it more directly in competition with tech giants like Google and Meta. 

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