Sam Altman served legal notice during event in San Francisco
What's the story
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman was served a legal notice while speaking at an event in San Francisco. The incident, which took place just minutes into the sold-out event at Sydney Goldstein Theater, shocked the audience and has since gone viral online. According to SFGATE, a man from the second row jumped onto the stage with a document in hand and claimed he had a subpoena for Altman.
Audience response
The man was escorted out as the audience booed
The event's host, civic organizer Manny Yekutiel, quickly intervened and handed the document to security. The intruder was then escorted out as the audience booed. Despite being visibly startled by the unexpected incident, Altman remained seated and unharmed throughout.
Legal confirmation
Here's what the San Francisco Public Defender's Office said
The next day, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office confirmed that the man was one of its investigators. "An investigator from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office lawfully served a subpoena on Mr. Altman because he is a potential witness in a pending criminal case," spokesperson Valerie Ibarra said in a statement to SFGATE. She also revealed that attempts had been made to serve this notice at OpenAI's headquarters and through its online portal.
Group involvement
Activist group Stop AI claimed responsibility for the incident
The activist group Stop AI, known for protesting outside OpenAI's offices, claimed responsibility for the incident online. The group has been critical of the company's AI policies and ethical practices. In a post on X, they wrote: "Our public defender successfully subpoenaed Sam Altman to appear at our trial where we will be tried for non-violently blocking the front door of OpenAI on multiple occasions and blocking the road in front of their office."