How Sam Altman’s ex-boyfriend lost $11 million in crypto in violent robbery

A violent crypto robbery happened Saturday night in San Francisco, when a gunman posed as a delivery worker and stole $11 million in Ethereum and Bitcoin from a home on Dorland Street.

The house belongs to Lachy Groom, a tech investor who once dated OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

According to law enforcement, Groom shares the home with another investor named Joshua, who was the target of the attack.

The incident started when a man holding a white box rang the buzzer at the $4.4 million property in the Mission District. Doorbell footage shared online shows him asking for “Joshua,” claiming he had a package to deliver and worked for a UPS affiliate. Joshua opened the door and confirmed who he was.

The man asked him to sign and then pretended to look for a pen, asking to borrow one. Once Joshua let him inside, a loud bang was heard.

Attacker tied up and beat victim before draining crypto

Inside the home, the fake delivery guy pulled a gun, tied up Joshua with duct tape, and stole his phone and laptop.

Police say the attacker accessed and drained his crypto wallets during the home invasion, taking both Bitcoin and Ethereum over the span of roughly 90 minutes. Officers arrived at 6:45 PM and found the victim with minor injuries, including bruises.

A source involved in the case said this was not a random break-in. It was a planned job, likely done by a foreign organized crime group. During the attack, the suspect beat Joshua while holding a phone on loudspeaker.

Foreign voices on the call read out personal details about him, pressuring him to cooperate. The attacker then poured liquid over Joshua, though it’s unclear what kind.

Altman’s ex and the tech elite neighborhood come into focus

Lachy Groom, 31, owns the Dorland Street home and previously had a relationship with Sam Altman, 40, before Altman got married in 2024.

According to property records, Groom bought the house in 2021 from Altman’s brother, paying $1.8 million at the time. This is the first time the details of their relationship have come to light.

Groom and Joshua both live in the 4-bedroom house, and both have a background in venture capital.

Groom once posted on X in November 2023, saying: “Sam is the most supportive, generous, inspiring person I know. OpenAI has forever changed the world, and I know whatever comes next will be even greater.” The two have also invested in startups together.

Before moving to San Francisco, Groom gained fame in Australia as a teen entrepreneur. He started four companies and sold three of them before turning 18, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Later, he became part of what the tech world called the “Stripe Mafia,” a nickname for a group of ex-Stripe employees who launched their own VC-backed startups.

OpenAI’s Altman also mentioned Groom in a 2019 X post, writing: “Lachy is one of four people I ask for career advice.”

The area around the property is popular with Silicon Valley insiders. Mark Zuckerberg once owned a $31 million home in nearby Dolores Heights. Groom’s current place is now worth $4.4 million, according to Zillow.

After the robbery, well-known investor Garry Tan shared the doorbell footage on X and asked for help. “We have to find the perpetrator. Time is of the essence,” he posted in a tweet that was later deleted. Tan also weighed in on crypto storage, saying: “Self custody of crypto seems like a good idea until it isn’t. Vault storage (at Coinbase or elsewhere) for long-term holding is safest,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Police are still investigating the case. No arrests have been made.