Texas man faces attempted murder charges for firebombing Sam Altman’s home and OpenAI HQ.

A Texas man, Daniel Moreno-Gama, faces both state and federal charges including attempted murder after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman early Friday morning. According to local prosecutors, as reported by Bloomberg, the 20-year-old from Spring, Texas—a Houston suburb—was arrested later that day following the attack, which caused a small fire at the entrance gate but injured no one. Federal authorities quickly joined the case, filing additional felony charges for possession of an unregistered firearm and attempted damage to property using explosives, according to a criminal complaint detailed by Business Insider and BBC.

Surveillance footage captured Moreno-Gama, dressed in a dark hoodie, approaching Altman's driveway and hurling the incendiary device, which ignited briefly atop a metal gate. About 90 minutes later, he allegedly arrived at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters, where he grabbed a chair to smash the glass doors, as shown in additional video evidence cited in the federal affidavit. On-site security confronted him, and he reportedly declared his intent "to burn it down and kill anyone inside," prompting police to arrest him on the spot. Officers recovered incendiary devices, a jug of kerosene, a lighter, and a key piece of evidence: a multi-part "anti-AI" document outlining his opposition to artificial intelligence.

The document, described in the FBI complaint and covered by Business Insider and WFTV, railed against AI's risks to humanity, warning of "our impending extinction" and listing names and addresses of other AI executives and investors alongside Altman, referred to as "Victim-1." FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo emphasized during a press conference that "this was not spontaneous—this was planned, targeted, and extremely serious." Altman's blog post later confirmed the incident at his home, heightening concerns over violence against tech leaders in the rapidly advancing AI field.

State charges alone could mean 19 years to life in prison, while federal penalties add up to 10 years for the firearm count and 20 years for the explosives charge. On Monday, FBI agents raided Moreno-Gama's home in Spring, Texas, spending hours searching the property as part of the ongoing probe, according to News4SanAntonio and WFTV reports. Discord has banned him for off-platform behavior linked to the case.

This attack underscores rising tensions around AI development, where critics fear existential threats from the technology powering companies like OpenAI. Tech executives, investors, and employees now face potential risks from ideologically driven violence, prompting questions about security for industry leaders. Authorities continue investigating the full scope of Moreno-Gama's plans, with no further incidents reported as of Monday. OpenAI and Altman have not detailed additional measures, but the case highlights the stakes in debates over AI's future.