Author: Curry, Deep Tide TechFlow
Deep Tide Introduction: Daniel Moreno-Gama, a 20-year-old man from Texas, has been charged with attempted murder and arson among multiple federal and state charges for throwing an incendiary device at the San Francisco residence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Police found a document titled "Your Last Warning" on his person, containing the names and addresses of several AI company CEOs and investors. Prosecutors stated that if evidence shows his actions were motivated by a desire to change public policy, he will be charged with domestic terrorism.
Image: Surveillance footage released by the U.S. Department of Justice showing the suspect throwing an incendiary device at Sam's home
At approximately 4 a.m. on April 10, Moreno-Gama threw a homemade incendiary device at Altman's residence in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood, igniting the exterior iron gate before fleeing on foot. Less than an hour later, he appeared at the OpenAI headquarters about 3 miles away, hitting the glass doors with a chair and telling security personnel that he was there to "burn down the building and kill everyone inside." San Francisco police subsequently apprehended him at the scene and found an incendiary device, a can of kerosene, a lighter, and a three-part document on his person.
This incident is the latest manifestation of the escalating security crisis within the AI industry. Matt Cobo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's San Francisco office, stated bluntly at a press conference on Monday that this was "not a spontaneous act, but a planned, targeted, and extremely serious one."
Image: After setting the residence on fire, the suspect attempted to break the doors of the OpenAI office
Document Contents Revealed: Calls for Killing AI Company CEOs, Lists Names and Addresses of Multiple Individuals
According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release on April 13, the document carried by Moreno-Gama was titled "Your Last Warning" in its first part. It advocated opposition to AI and promoted the killing of AI company CEOs and their investors, accompanied by names and addresses purportedly belonging to several CEOs and investors.
In the document, Moreno-Gama admitted to having "killed/attempted to kill" Altman. The second part, titled "More Words About Our Impending Extinction," elaborated on what he perceived as the existential threat AI poses to humanity.
The document concluded with a letter addressed to Altman, stating, "If you miraculously survive, I will take it as a sign from God for you to redeem yourself." On the same day, Moreno-Gama also emailed a version of the document to his former college in Texas, which, according to CNN citing FBI sources, is Lone Star College in Montgomery County, Texas.
An investigation by SF Examiner found that Moreno-Gama had been posting anti-AI content on Instagram and Substack as early as the summer of 2024. His Instagram account posted in December saying, "If we don't act soon, we will die, I am very sure of that." In January, an article published on his Substack described AI company CEOs as "likely sociopathic/psychopathic" and referred to Altman as "consistently reported as a pathological liar."
Altman Issues Lengthy Response: 'I Underestimated the Power of Words and Narrative'
Hours after the attack, Altman posted a photo of his husband and young child on his personal blog, writing, "We are usually very private, but this time I'm sharing a photo in the hope of deterring the next person who wants to throw a Molotov cocktail at our house."
In the blog post, Altman acknowledged that "a provocative article was written about me a few days ago" (referring to a recent in-depth investigation by The New Yorker), and that he had been warned that the article appeared at a time of heightened public anxiety about AI, potentially putting him at greater risk. "I brushed that aside. Now I'm waking up in the middle of the night to the smell of gas, starting to think I underestimated the power of words and narrative."
Altman also expressed understanding for anti-technology sentiments, stating that the fear and anxiety caused by AI "are reasonable," but called on all parties to "lower the temperature of the rhetoric and the means."
OpenAI, in a statement, called for resolving AI controversies "through the democratic process," "welcoming good-faith debate," but stated that "violence has no place in our democracy."
Residence Shot At Two Days Later, Silicon Valley Executive Security Crisis Intensifies
Just two days after the incendiary device attack, Altman's residence was attacked again.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, at approximately 2:56 a.m. on April 12, police received a report of a possible shooting in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Initial police reports cited by SF Standard indicate that a Honda sedan stopped in front of Altman's residence, and the passenger in the front seat reached a hand out the window and fired a shot towards the house. According to Newsweek, police subsequently arrested 25-year-old Amanda Tom and 23-year-old Muhamad Tarik Hussein and recovered three firearms from their residence. The two were charged with "negligent discharge of a firearm."
An OpenAI spokesperson told Newsweek that the shooting incident was unrelated to Altman, with no indication that his residence was the intended target. However, a notable detail is that, according to SF Standard, Hussein's father lives in Spring, Texas, and Moreno-Gama's registered address is also in Spring, Texas. Police have not yet confirmed any connection between the two incidents.
Previously, on December 4, 2024, UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York, a case that sparked widespread public discussion about the safety of corporate executives.
San Francisco District Attorney Jenkins criticized what she called "inflammatory rhetoric" regarding the potential impact of AI at a press conference, suggesting a causal link between polarized public discourse and violent acts targeting tech leaders.
