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Tucker Carlson confronts OpenAI's Sam Altman on whistleblower Suchir Balaji's death | Watch
Sam Altman expressed his belief that Suchir Balaji's death was a suicide, despite public scepticism and claims of suspicious circumstances.
A heated exchange broke out between American conservative commentator and television host Tucker Carlson and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during a recent interview, after the former raised questions about the suspicious death of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher of Indian origin.
Suchir Balaji was found dead at his apartment in San Francisco in November 2024, weeks after he accused OpenAI of unlawfully using copyrighted material from the internet, including books, articles, and other online content, to train its large language models such as ChatGPT.
Investigators ruled it a suicide caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, citing a locked front door, absence of forced entry, and autopsy findings consistent with self-harm. The San Francisco Police Department and the medical examiner both closed the case, saying no outside involvement was found.
Balaji’s mother and several public figures, however, have publicly rejected the suicide ruling.
During the interview, Carlson asked, “There were signs of a struggle, surveillance wires were cut, and blood was found in more than one room. He had just returned from a vacation and even ordered food that night. Does that sound like suicide?”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also fuelled suspicions, bluntly writing on X, “He was murdered.”
Watch the video here:
What Sam Altman said
Responding to Carlson, Sam Altman described Balaji’s death as “a great tragedy” and said he was deeply shaken. “This was like a friend of mine. I spent a lot of time reading everything I could about what happened. It looks like a suicide to me,” he told Carlson.
When Carlson pressed further, Altman maintained, “I really do believe it was suicide… I read the full medical records and the trajectory of the bullet was consistent with self-inflicted injury.”
He also acknowledged the sensitivity of the case, saying, “I understand how this sounds like an accusation. But I also care a lot about respect for him and his family. This is incredibly sad.”
