Suspect Arrested After Alleged Attack on Sam Altman’s Home and Threats Against OpenAI Headquarters, San Francisco Police Confirm

A San Francisco Police Department spokesperson confirmed to WIRED that officers took a suspect into custody early Friday morning. The individual is accused of targeting the private residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with an attack, then making violent threats outside the AI company’s headquarters. OpenAI’s internal corporate security team shared a full memo alerting all employees to the incident the same day.

“The memo reads, in part: “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.”

“Shortly afterward, an individual matching the suspect’s description was contacted by security outside MB1,” the message continues, referencing OpenAI’s main headquarters campus in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. “This person made threatening statements about the building.”

OpenAI’s corporate security team told staff the company is fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout the ongoing investigation, and employees should expect to see an increased visible presence of police and private security around the office on Friday. While the company’s offices remained open for regular operations, staff were advised to “not let anyone tailgate into the building” as a basic safety precaution.

The San Francisco Police Department did not immediately respond to WIRED’s independent request for comment. In an official statement shared to public social media channels, police confirmed officers responded to a fire investigation in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood at roughly 4:12 a.m. An “incendiary device” had been thrown at a residential property, sparking a small fire on the home’s exterior gate. The suspect fled the scene on foot after the attack.

Less than an hour later, officers located the same person they identified as the suspect outside OpenAI’s offices, where he was threatening to burn down the building. Law enforcement detained the suspect—an unidentified 20-year-old male—and placed him under arrest at the scene.

No injuries linked to either incident have been reported, and formal charges against the suspect are still pending, SFPD confirmed in its statement.

“Early this morning, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s home and also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters. Thankfully, no one was hurt,” OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood said in an email to 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.”

This attack is the latest in a string of threats targeting OpenAI’s offices and staff. In November of last year, the company initiated a full lockdown of its San Francisco campus following an alleged threat from an activist. In February 2025, multiple protesters were arrested after locking the main front doors of OpenAI’s office to block entry.

Lauren Goode contributed reporting to this story.