Sam Altman responds to ‘provocative’ New Yorker article after home attack
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman published a blog post on Friday evening, in which he responded to an apparent attack on his home and a detailed report in the New Yorker magazine questioning his credibility.
Early Friday morning, someone allegedly threw a petrol bomb at Altman’s San Francisco home. No one was injured in the incident, and a suspect was later arrested at OpenAI headquarters, where he was threatening to burn down the building, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
“Although law enforcement has withheld the suspect’s identity, Altman linked the incident to an ‘incendiary article’ about him published just days prior. He noted that he had received warnings that releasing such a piece during a period of intense public anxiety over AI could heighten the danger to his personal safety.”
“I dismissed the concern at the time,” Altman said. “Now, lying awake at night and feeling deeply frustrated, I realize that I underestimated the true influence of words and narratives.”
“The article in question was an in-depth investigative feature co-authored by Ronan Farrow—acclaimed for his Pulitzer Prize-winning exposure of the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein—and Andrew Marantz, a journalist known for his extensive coverage of technology and politics.”
Farrow and Marantz report that most of the more than 100 people interviewed about Altman’s business activities described him as possessing an “indomitable will to power,” which made him stand out even among aerospace industrialists.
Much like other journalists who have profiled Altman, Farrow and Marantz noted that many sources questioned his integrity. An anonymous board member encapsulated this view, claiming Altman combines “a strong desire to please people, to be liked in any given interaction” with “a sociopathic lack of concern for the consequences that may come from deceiving someone.”
In his reply, Altman stated that in hindsight, he can pinpoint “a lot of things I’m proud of and a bunch of mistakes.” Among those errors, he cited a tendency toward “being conflict-averse,” which he noted has “caused great pain for me and OpenAI.”
Altman has expressed regret for his behavior during the dispute with the previous board, which led to significant instability at the company—a clear indication of his ouster and swift return as CEO in 2023. He admitted, “I am not proud of the way I handled the situation poorly during the conflict with our previous board, which created a huge mess for the company.” He added, “I have made many other mistakes along OpenAI’s incredible journey; I am a flawed human being at the center of a very complex situation, trying to get a little better every year and always working towards our goal.”
He continued, “I am sorry to people I’ve hurt and wish I had learned more faster.” Addressing the current industry climate, Altman conceded that there is “so much Shakespearean drama between the companies in our field,” which he attributed to a “‘ring of power’ dynamic” that “makes people do crazy things.”
Of course, the right way to deal with the ring of power is to destroy it, so Altman adds, “I’m not saying that [artificial general intelligence] itself is the ring, but rather the totalitarian philosophy of ‘being the only person in control of AGI.’” His proposed solution is to “focus on sharing the technology widely with people, and making sure no one has the ring.”
Altman closed his remarks by expressing an openness to “good-faith criticism and debate,” while reinforcing his core conviction that “technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine.”
He argued that during this debate, we must restrain rhetoric and tactics and strive to minimize both literal and figurative explosions within our own homes.
