OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has linked the recent attack on his San Francisco home to remarks from rival Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. During a recent interview with podcaster Ashlee Vance on the "Core Memory" podcast, Altman suggested that comments from rival AI companies may have played a role in the attack.
His comments come after a Molotov cocktail attack on his residence earlier this month, which authorities say was carried out by a suspect who had traveled across states with the intent to harm him.
"I think the doomerism talk hasn't helped. I think the way certain other labs talk about us hasn't helped," Altman said, adding, "I think the way Anthropic talks about OpenAI doesn't help."
Authorities said Daniel Moreno-Gama traveled from Texas to California and threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman's home before being arrested near OpenAI's headquarters on April 10. He is facing state and federal charges, including attempted murder. The FBI said it found an "anti-AI" document on him listing names of multiple AI CEOs, though those names have not been disclosed.
Altman said the incident had a personal impact on him. "I was just, like, you know, there's gonna be more stuff like this, and it's incredibly disheartening. I went through a real depressive cycle about it. But it's very scary," he added.
How OpenAI and Anthropic's Rivalry Is Continuing to Shape the AI Debate
Altman's remarks come amid ongoing tensions between OpenAI and Anthropic, a company founded by former OpenAI employees who had raised concerns about safety approaches. While it is not clear which specific comments Altman was referring to, the two companies have exchanged public and private criticism in recent months.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei had earlier criticized industry messaging in an internal memo, reportedly calling OpenAI's approach "safety theatre." Amodei wrote, "Sam is trying to undermine our position while appearing to support it. I want people to be really clear on this: he is trying to make it more possible for the admin to punish us by undercutting our public support."
Altman, on his part, has also criticized Anthropic's business positioning. Earlier, he said "Anthropic serves an expensive product to rich people."
The rivalry has extended to product strategies as well. Commenting on Anthropic's decision not to publicly release its Claude Mythos model, Altman described it as "fear-based marketing."
"It is clearly incredible marketing to say, 'We have built a bomb. We were about to drop it on your head. We will sell you a bomb shelter for $100 million to run across all your stuff, but only if we pick you as a customer,'" Altman added.
The competition between the two companies has also played out in public forums, including industry events where both leaders declined to present a unified front.
Despite the tensions, Altman expressed hope that the broader conversation around AI would shift. "I hope cooler heads prevail," he said.
