Firebomb thrown at Sam Altman’s house amid rising anger over AI impact on jobs

A Molotov cocktail attack at the San Francisco residence of Sam Altman was reported on Friday amid intensified concerns over rising hostility toward artificial intelligence majors, even as debates over AI’s impact on jobs and society grow sharper.

According to the San Francisco Police Department, a 20-year-old suspect allegedly threw an improvised incendiary device at Altman’s home in the North Beach neighbourhood. The device ignited part of the front gate, causing a small fire before the suspect fled on foot. No injuries were reported and it remains unclear whether Altman was present at the time.

The police said the same individual was located less than an hour later near the headquarters of OpenAI, nearly 4.8 km away, where he was reportedly making threats to set the building on fire. Officers recognised the suspect from the earlier incident and took him into custody. The authorities have not disclosed a motive and have not publicly identified the accused.

An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the attack took place at Altman’s residence, adding that the company was cooperating with the police.

The incident comes amid heightened security concerns around OpenAI facilities, which have faced threats and sporadic protests in recent months. In November last year, a threat briefly forced a lockdown at the company’s San Francisco office.

Altman and OpenAI have increasingly become focal points for activists warning about the rapid expansion of AI technologies. Critics argue that widespread deployment of AI tools could lead to significant job displacement across sectors such as media, customer service and software development, industries already witnessing early disruptions.

Concerns have also mounted over OpenAI’s reported collaborations with defence agencies, raising ethical questions about the militarisation of AI. Though public sentiment remains divided, surveys suggest scepticism toward AI continues to grow despite its widespread adoption.

The backlash comes amid OpenAI’s meteoric rise. The company recently reported a valuation of $852 billion and said its flagship chatbot had surpassed 900 million weekly users, underscoring both the scale of its influence and the intensity of scrutiny it faces.