OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Served Subpoena During Live Event

Image via @tombibbys on X

In a moment of live-event drama, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman found himself at the center of an unexpected legal maneuver. While giving a talk in San Francisco with basketball coach Steve Kerr on Tuesday, Altman was abruptly served a subpoena right on stage.

A Dramatic Interruption Confirmed

The incident took place at the Sydney Goldstein Theater, where a man climbed onto the stage and announced he had a “subpoena for Sam Altman.” As footage of the event shows, the announcement was met with loud boos from the audience as the man was ushered away. While Altman did not physically take the document, the talk's moderator, Manny Yekutiel, lightened the mood by quipping, “Wow, getting off to a dramatic start already.”

This was no random stunt. The man was an investigator for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, which confirmed to SFGate that the subpoena was genuine. Valerie Ibarra, a spokesperson for the office, stated, “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.” She added that they had made “several prior attempts to serve the subpoena at Altman’s company headquarters and via its online portal.”

The Activists Behind the Subpoena

Shortly after the incident, an activist group named “Stop AI” took responsibility for the subpoena on social media. The legal action is connected to a trial involving some of the group's members. These members are facing charges for their repeated attempts to block OpenAI employees from entering their headquarters, including a widely covered demonstration in February. The group argues these actions were a form of non-violent protest protected by law.

Stop AI's Mission to Save Humanity

The subpoena orders Altman to appear at the trial, which Stop AI frames as a critical moment for humanity. The group's stated goal is to halt the development of artificial superintelligence to prevent human extinction.

In a public statement, the group declared, “All of our non-violent actions against OpenAI were an attempt to slow OpenAI down in their attempted murder of everyone and every living thing on Earth.” They believe the trial “will be the first time in human history where a jury of normal people are asked about the extinction threat that AI poses to humanity.”

A Pattern of Public Protests

OpenAI and its CEO have become frequent targets of public protest. Last July, activists marched on Altman’s home in the Bay Area to protest his past support of political policies that cut billions from social safety nets like food stamps.

More recently, a group of artists who were given early access to OpenAI's video generator, Sora, leaked the tool to the public. They accused the company of using them as “PR puppets” to distract from its history of training AI models on artists' work without consent.

Altman's Own Warnings on AI Risks

While Stop AI's cause may seem dramatic, its concerns echo warnings issued by Sam Altman himself. He has publicly stated that AI will destroy entire categories of jobs and could lead to a massive “fraud crisis.” Altman has also admitted that AI could worsen inequality, entrench mass surveillance, and in the most extreme scenario, even result in humanity’s extinction.