Technology

Altman attack suspect suggested ‘Luigi’ing some tech CEOs’ in online chat

by Miranda Nazzaro - 04/16/26 2:39 PM ET

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by Miranda Nazzaro - 04/16/26 2:39 PM ET

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The suspect accused of attempting to murder OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed interest in “Luigi’ing” technology leaders in an online chat late last year, referring to Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

A team member of the podcast “The Last Invention” first made contact with the suspect, Daniel Moreno-Gama, on Discord last December, when Moreno-Gama asked about violence on the server of an anti-AI group, according to chat screenshots obtained by The Hill.

When asked what he meant by violence, Moreno-Gama responded “Luig’ing some tech CEOs,” and the two made arrangements to record an interview, the screenshots showed.

Moreno-Gama was arrested and charged with attempted murder and attempted arson after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s San Francisco house last Friday.

During the January recording with podcast host Andy Mils, Moreno-Gama said the comment “shouldn’t be taken too literally,” according to a recording shared with The Hill.

“People kind of say that all the time. I didn’t really mean that as a threat or anything,” Moreno-Gama said.

When Mills suggested Moreno-Gama was being “provocative,” he responded, “Yes, that’s kind of my idea. I’d rather be provocative with my statements than actually promote something like that.”

Mills responds, “So you don’t really think it would be wise for someone to say ‘let’s kill Sam Altman?’” to which Moreno-Gama said “no,” and later that “it’s not worth it.”

Mills said in a piece published in The Free Press Wednesday that Moreno-Gama told him he did not agree with the murder of Thompson, but, “I think we saw with Mangione is a lot of people were able to excuse it. I think that’s interesting.”

Stop AI, a grassroots movement opposing AI, confirmed Moreno-Gama originally posted on their Discord server, asking whether “speaking about violence” will get him banned.

Media startup Longview released an edited form of the podcast Wednesday in the wake of last week’s attack. Mills said the interview was intended to be part of a series “documenting debates around the attempt to create artificial general intelligence.”

“In our series, we’ve been attempting to cover all sides and all the beliefs shaping our world’s view of this fascinating, bewildering technological moment,” Mills wrote.

The Hill reached out to Moreno-Gama’s lawyer for comment. HIs attorney told the court on Tuesday that he was experiencing a “mental health crisis.”

The attack on Altman, combined with a shots fired incident at the home of an Indianapolis city councilman over data centers, has prompted new fears over whether the debate around the technology has turned dangerous.

Altman, in a blog post following the attack, said he “underestimated the power of words and narratives” and pointed to a recent “incendiary article” about him published days earlier. He did not list the article, though several online users speculated it was a New Yorker investigative piece on Altman released days earlier.

“A lot of the criticism of our industry comes from sincere concern about the incredibly high stakes of this technology. This is quite valid, and we welcome good-faith criticism and debate. I empathize with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone,” Altman said. “While we have that debate, we should de-escalate the rhetoric and tactics and try to have fewer explosions in fewer homes, figuratively and literally.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported the podcast recording.

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