dailyloe.com – A man allegedly threw a firebomb at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home in San Francisco. The incident occurred on Friday in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. Daniel Moreno-Gama, 20, traveled from Spring, Texas, to commit the act. He ignited a fire at the exterior gate of the $27 million property.
No one was injured in the attack. Moreno-Gama was arrested about an hour later. He was outside OpenAI’s headquarters at the time of his arrest. Authorities say he was trying to shatter the building’s glass doors with a chair.
He also allegedly threatened to burn the facility down. Moreno-Gama now faces state charges of attempted murder. Federal charges could include domestic terrorism. Authorities found a manifesto after the arrest.
The manifesto warned of humanity’s extinction at the hands of AI. It expressed an urge to commit murder. A disturbing personal Substack was also discovered. The next morning, Altman posted a plea on his X account.
He attached a photo of his husband and young child. Altman wrote he was sharing it to dissuade future attacks. He hoped it would stop the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail. This was regardless of what they thought about him.
His plea was to no avail. Early Sunday morning, two more people were arrested. They were aged 23 and 25 and are part of Gen Z. They were arrested after shooting a gun near Altman’s Russian Hill home.
It is unclear if the shooting was targeted. After the attacks, pundits pointed fingers in many directions. Some blamed the Stop AI crowd. This radical group has staged protests to halt AI development.
They have also delivered flash subpoenas. Others blamed the news media for critical coverage. Some blamed Altman himself for his apocalyptic rhetoric. He has sometimes stoked fear about AI displacement.
Among older commentators, the dominant note was remorse. They also expressed well wishes for Altman. In younger internet corners, comments ran differently. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok saw specific reactions.
Comments under posts about the attacks said ‘He’s not scared enough.’ Another said ‘Based do it again.’ A third comment read ‘FREE THAT MAN HE DID NOTHING WRONG.’ The resistance to AI once seemed manageable.
It previously involved academics writing open letters. Hollywood writers also struck over contract language. Think-tank reports warned of job displacement. Tech executives nodded and pledged responsibility.
They kept building as fast as they could. Then someone threw a firebomb at Sam Altman’s house. This marked a shift in the nature of the backlash. The incident represents a more revolutionary turn.[]
Source: Fortune
