In the early hours of Friday morning, an individual allegedly hurled a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco residence of Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. The San Francisco Police Department reported that no injuries occurred, and a suspect was later apprehended at OpenAI’s headquarters, where they were making threats to set the building ablaze. While authorities have not publicly named the suspect, Altman connected the violent act to the recent publication of what he termed an “incendiary article” about him.
Altman detailed his reaction in a blog post released on Friday evening. He recounted that someone had warned him the article’s timing, amid heightened public anxiety over artificial intelligence, could escalate dangers. “I brushed it aside,” Altman admitted. “Now I am awake in the middle of the night and pissed, and thinking that I have underestimated the power of words and narratives.”
The profile in question is a lengthy investigative piece by Ronan Farrow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for exposing sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, and Andrew Marantz, who has extensively covered technology and politics. Farrow and Marantz conducted interviews with over 100 individuals familiar with Altman’s business conduct. Most described him as possessing “a relentless will to power that, even among industrialists who put their names on spaceships, sets him apart.”
Echoing other journalists who have profiled Altman, the authors noted that many sources questioned his trustworthiness. An anonymous board member characterized him as combining “a strong desire to please people, to be liked in any given interaction” with “a sociopathic lack of concern for the consequences that may come from deceiving someone.”
In his response, Altman reflected on his career, stating, “looking back, I can identify ‘a lot of things I’m proud of and a bunch of mistakes.’” He cited a tendency towards “being conflict-averse” as a key error, which he said has “caused great pain for me and OpenAI.” Altman expressed regret over his conduct during a conflict with OpenAI’s previous board, likely referencing his removal and rapid reinstatement as CEO in 2023, calling it “a huge mess for the company.”
“I have made many other mistakes throughout the insane trajectory of OpenAI; I am a flawed person in the center of an exceptionally complex situation, trying to get a little better each year, always working for the mission,” Altman wrote. He added, “I am sorry to people I’ve hurt and wish I had learned more faster.”
Altman also commented on the broader AI industry, observing that there seems to be “so much Shakespearean drama between the companies in our field.” He attributed this to a “‘ring of power’ dynamic” that “makes people do crazy things.” Clarifying his metaphor, Altman noted, “I don’t mean that [artificial general intelligence] is the ring itself, but instead the totalizing philosophy of ‘being the one to control AGI.’” His proposed solution is “to orient towards sharing the technology with people broadly, and for no one to have the ring.”
Concluding his post, Altman welcomed “good-faith criticism and debate,” while reaffirming his belief that “technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine.” He urged for de-escalation, saying, “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.”
