Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide, which some readers may find distressing.
Elon Musk had made spectacular claims about the death of an OpenAI ‘whistleblower’ who supposedly had 'relevant documents' that could've pointed to a copyright violation.
OpenAI's Sam Altman has been put in the hot seat by Tucker Carlson, who demanded to know more about the November 2024 death of engineer Suchir Balaji.
Balaji's death was confirmed by his parents, with his body being found in his San Francisco apartment.
Who is Suchir Balaji?
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At the time, police said it "appeared to be a suicide," adding that "no evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The chief medical examiner’s office then confirmed the manner of death as suicide.
With Balaji named in a court listing as having potential proof of an OpenAI copyright violation, conspiracy theories about his death have swirled since.
The issue of Balaji's death came up in a conversation between Altman and Carlson, with the former clarifying the company's stance on fair use. Altman confirmed that models shouldn't be plagiarizing, and if you write something, models shouldn't be able to replicate it. This is the crux of a lawsuit where The New York Times sued OpenAI over copyright complaints in December 2023.
Carlson pushed Altman on whether OpenAI had ever taken copyrighted materials and not paid for them, leading into the story of a programmer who alleged ChatGPT was 'stealing' people's stuff.
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Carlson refers to Balaji as having been 'murdered', as Altman explained: "Also a great tragedy, he committed suicide."
When asked if he believes Balaji took his own life, Altman reiterated: "I really do...This was a friend of mine, this was a guy, not a close friend, but this is someone who worked at OpenAI for a very long time.
"I was really shaken by this tragedy, I spent a lot of time trying to, you know, read everything I could, as I assume you and others did too, about what happened. It looks like a suicide to me."
The interviewer continued to press Altman on why he's confident it was suicide, with Altman maintaining that Balaji had purchased a gun himself and how he'd read the 'gruesome' medical records.
Sam Altman speaks out about Suchir Balaji
Carlson remains adamant that he was murdered, saying there were signs of a struggle, surveillance camera wires had been cut, and there were no indications that he was suicidal.
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Altman says he hasn't talked to the authorities about Balaji's death, prompting Carlson to say that Balaji's mother claims her son was murdered on Altman's 'orders'. A seemingly disgruntled Altman asked Carlson whether he believes that, adding: "You just said it, so do you believe it?"
Carlson said it was 'worth looking into', whereas one person who appears to believe Balaji was murdered is Elon Musk. The tech billionaire shared a post referring to the exchange and simply wrote: "He was murdered."
Carlson was a little more impartial on the matter, although things escalated when an angrier Altman said: "I haven't done too many interviews where I've been accused of..."
He was then interrupted by Carlson, who quickly clarified: "Oh, I'm not accusing you at all."
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Altman again said it sounds like an accusation, with Carlson doubling down on the fact that he's not accusing Altman of any wrongdoing.
In the end, the OpenAI CEO concluded that Balaji and his family deserve a level of respect that he says wasn't being given across in the Carlson interview.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.