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OpenAI’s founder Sam Altman has spoken publicly about the death of Suchir Balaji for the first time. He called it a great tragedy. His comments came during a tense interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Carlson repeatedly questioned the police ruling of suicide and insisted Balaji was murdered.
Suchir Balaji was an Indian-origin researcher who had worked at OpenAI for four years. He was found dead in his San Francisco apartment in November 2024. This was weeks after he accused OpenAI of copyright violations. Police said he died by suicide. His family, however, claims the investigation was flawed and believes he was killed.
During the interview, Carlson asked Altman about Balaji’s complaints. He said one programmer claimed OpenAI was taking people’s work without paying. Carlson added that the programmer then ended up dead. Altman responded by calling it a great tragedy and saying it was a suicide. He described Balaji as someone he knew and had worked with for a long time. Altman said he was very shaken by the death but stood by the suicide conclusion.
Carlson disagreed, pointing out signs like a struggle, cut surveillance wires, and blood in multiple rooms. He mentioned that Balaji had recently returned from vacation and had ordered takeout food. Carlson said he believed Balaji was definitely murdered. He added that Balaji’s mother shared the same belief.
Altman noted he had rarely been accused of murder in interviews and explained how serious that accusation sounded. Even with repeated questions from Carlson, Altman maintained that he had read everything available and that the evidence points to suicide.
Balaji’s mother, Poornima Ramarao, rejected the suicide ruling. She said many people are afraid to speak the truth. Even lawyers were pressured to say it was suicide, she claimed, in a separate interview with Carlson.