OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s $27 million mansion is a ‘lemon’ with a leaky pool, lawsuit alleges

Sam Altman’s $27 million San Francisco luxury abode is apparently plagued with issues, ranging from a leaky infinity pool to faulty piping that dumped raw sewage on the property. That’s according to a lawsuit that The San Francisco Standard linked to the OpenAI CEO’s residence, which claims Altman purchased a “lemon” with “pervasive shoddy workmanship and corner-cutting.”

The 9,500-square-foot estate is situated on San Francisco’s iconic Lombard Street, where it overlooks the city and the bay. As you can see in this walkthrough of the home, some of its key features include a four-sided infinity pool that hangs off the edge of the house, a “Batcave” leading into a garage, as well as a system that uses recycled rainwater to irrigate an expansive garden and flush toilets inside the house.

But the $27 million mansion might not be all it’s cracked up to be. In a lawsuit filed last week in a San Francisco court, Altman’s legal team claims the real estate developer Troon Pacific “misrepresented the condition of the Property as of the highest quality” to sell it “as quickly as possible.” The plaintiff also accuses the developer of failing to hire qualified contractors, some of whom allegedly “retaliated” by “filling drainage and sewer pipes with contractor bags and debris” over claims they weren’t paid on time.

That “shoddy” workmanship has led to the pool leaking a “flood of water” into the home’s lower level last August, causing “the gypsum ceiling in that area to fail” and “the widespread presence of mold,” as claimed in the lawsuit. Altman’s legal team estimates the cost to repair the pool would be upwards of $4 million, and that’s not counting the “unconnected bathroom sewer line that dumped raw sewage on the ground,” “numerous leaking irrigation lines,” the “water intrusion at skylights,” among other issues.

Altman isn’t the only person to have taken issue with Troon Pacific’s work. In May, the developer was ordered to pay $50 million back to investors who funded a home renovation project in San Francisco that was never finished, all while the company allegedly pocketed millions.

For now, Altman might be stuck dealing with some inconveniences around the house while the lawsuit runs its course. But maybe he can ask ChatGPT for help fixing some of its issues — or, better yet, give him suggestions on how to find a new place.