OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Calls for Democratizing AGI Power After Attack on Home

OpenAI's mission is to ensure artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity, but the concentration of advanced models and computing power among a handful of companies has raised concerns about job losses, safety and monopolized power. CEO Sam Altman believes AI will greatly expand human capabilities, while acknowledging that the impact of superintelligence is difficult to predict. Who controls AGI has therefore become a central issue in technology governance.

At 3:45 a.m. on April 10, 2026, 20-year-old Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman's San Francisco home, setting an outer door ablaze but causing no injuries. He was arrested near OpenAI's headquarters less than an hour later and pleaded not guilty on May 5 to charges of attempted murder and attempted arson. Altman later likened the temptation to monopolize AGI to the “One Ring,” arguing that its power should be shared among individuals and democratic institutions.