A 20-year-old man was arrested Friday after throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood and threatening to burn down the company’s headquarters, according to police and the company.
Officers responded to a report of a fire at a home near Chestnut and Jones streets around around 4:12 a.m. and learned that a man threw an incendiary destructive device at Altman’s home before fleeing, police and a company spokesperson said. The Molotov cocktail caused a fire at the home’s exterior gate, police said. No injuries were reported.
OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice on Friday confirmed to the Chronicle that the home belonged to Altman and said they were assisting law enforcement with their investigation.
About an hour later just after 5 a.m., police responded to reports of a man threatening to burn down a building on the 1400 block of Third Street in Mission Bay, where OpenAI is headquartered. Officers recognized the man to be the same person who threw the Molotov cocktail at the CEO’s home and immediately arrested him, police said.
“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody,” said Radice.
Police did not provide any additional details about the man arrested in connection with the incident.