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OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco Apartment on December 14 last year. Authorities ruled his death as a suicide while parents asserted that it was a murder.
Suchir Balaji resigned from OpenAI in August this year. (Photo Credits: Suchir Balaji/LinkedIn)
OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji’s death has been shrouded in mystery – while officials claim it was suicide, his parents and investigative journalists say he was murdered. He was found dead in his apartment under suspicious circumstances.
Investigative journalist George Webb, who visited Balaji’s apartment, had previously shared troubling findings, asserting that it was a murder committed by one person. He also found blood patterns, signs of a struggle and missing evidence, such as Balaji’s backup drive of his OpenAI testimony.
“The apartment was ransacked. Blood trails suggest he was crawling out of the bathroom, trying to seek help,” Webb said in an interview with India Today, adding that Balaji’s gunshot injuries appeared more consistent with interrogation tactics rather than suicide.
He also observed the absence of a suicide note and the OpenAI employee’s close relationship with his parents, whom he had called just hours before his death. He also criticised the San Francisco Police Department’s “premature labelling” of his death as a suicide.
OpenAI Testimony Backup Drive Missing
Balaji made headlines in October when he spoke to The New York Times about his concerns regarding OpenAI’s approach to copyright. He questioned whether the company’s use of copyrighted data to train its models was ethical or legal.
It has now come to light that a backup drive of Balaji’s OpenAI testimony, containing sensitive information linked to the lawsuits against the tech company, has gone missing. Webb said the disappearance of the device may be linked to Balaji’s role as a whistleblower and his position as a witness to the legal battles.
“This wasn’t a robbery. Suchir was targeted. His injuries and the scene point to foul play,” he further mentioned, adding that Balaji could be targeted by powerful entities due to his prominence in the AI industry and his planned testimony in lawsuits.
However, the journalist ruled out OpenAI’s involvement in his death. “I really don’t think OpenAI with as much trouble as they’re in with all these lawsuits, would help their case by making a martyr out of suture biology,” he added.
Meanwhile, Balaji’s parents have now hired a private investigator to shed more light on his death and Webb’s allegations. His death was ruled a suicide after the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of ‘foul play’.
Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed that her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder declared by authorities as suicide.” She also mentioned that a private autopsy report differed from the initial police report. Additionally, she stated that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked,” and there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom that suggested he had been hit.
- Location :
San Francisco, California, USA
