The mother of Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI programmer and whistleblower who was found dead in his San Francisco residence last year, has claimed that his son was attacked and killed. In an interview with political commentator Tucker Carlson, Balaji’s mother, Poornima Rao, claimed that he had documents against OpenAI.
“So he was quoted saying that OpenAI was committing crimes and a month later he was dead,” Carlson said during an interview with Suchir Balaji’s mother.
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“That’s not just it,” Rao replied.
“On November 18, The New York Times named my son as custodian witness. Custodian witness is very very important. He had the documents against OpenAI,” she added.
“That was on 18th…22nd…He just came back from vacation from LA and Catalina island the same night. They have attacked him and killed him,” she noted.
Elon Musk responds to the interview
Musk, who has been vocal against OpenAI’s transition from non-profit to for-profit organisation, has shared the video with a two word comment.
“Extremely concerning,” Musk said. He also shared a separate clip in which Suchir Balaji’s mother is talking about her son’s death.
Who was Suchir Balaji and why his death made headlines
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI researcher who raised concerns about the company’s transition to a for-profit model, died under suspicious circumstances. Prominent figures, including Elon Musk, have joined the chorus of voices calling for a thorough investigation into Balaji’s death, officially ruled a suicide.
Balaji was a vocal critic of OpenAI’s shift, expressing concerns about the ethical implications of generative AI and potential copyright violations. His views ignited a debate within the technology sector and beyond.
His mother has publicly questioned the official narrative, revealing that her son became increasingly disillusioned with OpenAI’s trajectory.
“The reason he joined OpenAI was his belief that AI will help humanity. When OpenAI became for-profit, his concerns began to grow,” Rao said while speaking with entrepreneur Mario Nawfal. Rao explained that Balaji was deeply troubled by the company’s commercialisation of AI.
