A 20-year-old man has been detained after being accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home last week. Allegedly, he also made threats at the company’s headquarters, as reported by the AP.
The suspect, identified as Daniel Moreno-Gama from Texas, faces attempted murder and arson charges. According to The New York Times, Moreno-Gama had a list of AI executives and expressed anti-AI views. No further injuries or incidents reported as of April 15.
“On his alleged Substack, Moreno-Gama predicted that AI would cause human extinction,” according to reporting by Fortune. “When arrested, Moreno-Gama was carrying a ‘manifesto’ that detailed his anti-AI beliefs and listed the names of other AI executives, according to the complaint.”
Before OpenAI: memories of another act of violence
This isn’t the first time a leading executive in an HR-adjacent field has been targeted in such a violent, manifesto-driven act of violence. In December 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside a Manhattan hotel by a gunman who fled the scene and was later apprehended in Pennsylvania. Thompson’s killer was found with a manifesto ambushing the healthcare industry. Also, the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were marked on the killer’s ammunition.
What followed demonstrated that the violence didn’t end there, according to reporting by BenefitsPRO. Hours after Thompson’s murder, a man named Shane Daley placed calls to a work phone line used by a member of Thompson’s family. Daley left voicemails expressing satisfaction over Thompson’s death and said that Thompson’s children deserved to meet the same violent end. Daley was arrested on federal cyberstalking charges and ultimately pleaded guilty.
Read more: Why OpenAI’s new consulting alliances are an HR story
Insights for HR leaders
Thompson’s murder illustrates how hostility toward high-impact industries can escalate. Long-simmering public anger at health insurance practices had festered in online discourse before manifesting in direct threats to executives and employees.
The aggression toward Altman has online origins as well. “These people are almost nothing like you,” wrote Moreno-Gama on his alleged Substack. “They are most likely sociopathic/psychopathic and, in the case of Altman, consistently reported to be a pathological liar.”
Taken together, the Thompson and Altman cases reveal escalating threat occurrences tied to ideological rage directed at industries perceived as powerful or harmful. After such violence, HR leaders may hear concerns from employees in visible roles who fear doxxing and harassment, and some staff may express hesitancy to take on public-facing leadership.
Additionally, internal polarization may flare up around controversial business decisions about how to deal with such high-stakes topics. Many HR leaders may find that duty of care now extends beyond workplace safety to psychological safety, crisis communication and support for workers caught in the crossfire of public anger.
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