OpenAI CEO Sam Altman published a blog post Friday evening about the apparent attack on his home and an in-depth New Yorker profile that raises questions about his credibility.
Early Friday morning, someone reportedly threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s San Francisco home. No one was injured in the incident, and the suspect was later arrested at OpenAI headquarters after threatening to burn down the building, according to the SF Police Department.
Police have not publicly identified the suspect, but Altman noted the incident occurred days after “inflammatory articles” about him were published. He said someone had suggested that the publication of the article could make the situation “more dangerous” at “a time of great anxiety about AI”.
“I put it aside,” Altman said. “Now I wake up in the middle of the night angry and thinking I underestimated the power of words and stories.”
The article in question was a lengthy investigative piece written by Ronan Farrow (who won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting that exposed many of the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein) and Andrew Marantz (who has written extensively about technology and politics).
Farrow and Marantz said that in interviews with more than 100 people with knowledge of Altman’s business actions, most described him as a man with “an unrelenting will to power that sets him apart even among the entrepreneurs who have put their names on the ship.”
Many sources have questioned his credibility, according to Altman, Farrow and other journalists who have covered Marantz, with one anonymous board member saying he combines “a strong need to please people and be liked in any interaction” with “a sociopathic lack of concern for the possible consequences of deceiving someone.”
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In response, Altman said that looking back, he can see “a lot of things I’m proud of and a lot of mistakes.”
Among his mistakes, he said, is a tendency to “averse to conflict,” which “has caused me and OpenAI a lot of pain.”
“I’m not proud of how I handled myself badly in the conflict with the previous board that caused so much turmoil for the company,” Altman said, possibly referring to his dismissal and quick reinstatement as OpenAI CEO in 2023. “I’ve made many other mistakes throughout OpenAI’s crazy trajectory. I’m a flawed person at the center of an unusually complex situation, trying to get a little better every year and always working on the mission.”
He added, “I’m sorry to those who were hurt by me, and I wish I had learned sooner.”
Altman also acknowledged that there seemed to be “too much Shakespearean drama among companies in our field,” which he attributed to the “ring of power” dynamic that “drives people crazy.”
Of course, the right way to deal with the chain of power is to destroy it, so Altman added, “(Artificial general intelligence) does not mean the chain itself, but the overall philosophy of ‘becoming the one who controls the AGI.’”
Altman concluded by saying he welcomes “good faith criticism and debate,” and reiterating his belief that “technological advances can create an incredibly good future for your family and mine.”
“As the debate progresses, we need to tone down the rhetoric and tactics and try to ensure that there are fewer explosions, both figuratively and literally, in fewer homes,” he said.
