Man snuck into Anthropic office to warn exec was going to be killed as violent threats mount: report
A man reportedly snuck into the lobby of AI startup Anthropic to warn that a top executive was “going to be killed” – the latest incident of violent threats against tech execs as public opinion of AI sours.On April 15, a man entered the San Francisco headquarters of Anthropic, the world’s most valuable AI startup, by closely following behind an employee who swiped in with their badge, according to the Wall Street Journal.A security guard rushed over to stop the intruder, who then showed the guard an envelope marked with the name of a top Anthropic executive – warning the employee was “going to be killed” and he needed to alert someone, the report said, citing records of the incident.It took place days after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home was targeted in an attempted firebombing incident – and then targeted again that same week by a car that pulled up outside the mansion and fired a shot from the passenger window, according to law enforcement.The Texas man who allegedly tossed a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s house was charged with attempted murder and attempted arson after officers found a terrifying manifesto calling for the killing of tech CEOs and investors.He has pleaded not guilty.Such incidents are reportedly just a drop in the bucket as California cops have responded to a slew of threats against Anthropic and OpenAI workers, according to the Journal.Anthropic did not confirm the April incident, telling The Post it has operated 24/7 security since 2024 and regularly communicates with employees about emerging risks.A spokesperson for the company told the Journal that its security team is trained to seek de-escalation and not to detain people.Also in April, a man who applied for a job at Anthropic under a fake name allegedly posted a threat to skin the children of company employees as “punishment” for supposedly stealing his work, the Journal reported, citing police records.
No arrest was made.In June, Anthropic security worker...