Summary:
- Former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji (26) was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26, with police ruling it suicide, but his mother demands FBI investigation citing evidence of foul play.
- Elon Musk supports the family’s call for investigation after mother Poornima Ramarao revealed findings from private autopsy, signs of struggle, and ransacked apartment contradicting official suicide ruling.
- Balaji had recently resigned from OpenAI in August 2023 after working there for four years, becoming a whistleblower by publicly criticizing the company’s data collection practices for AI training.
- The deceased’s last phone call with his father on November 22 indicated he was in good spirits celebrating his birthday in Los Angeles, further raising questions about the suicide ruling.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has backed calls for an FBI investigation into the death of former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji, whose body was found in his San Francisco apartment on November 26. The 26-year-old’s death, initially ruled a suicide by local authorities, has come under scrutiny after his mother revealed findings from a private investigation.
Poornima Ramarao, Balaji’s mother, has strongly contested the official suicide ruling, pointing to evidence from a second autopsy that she claims contradicts the police’s conclusions. “Private autopsy doesn’t confirm cause of death stated by police,” Ramarao wrote in a post on X.
In her public statement, Ramarao detailed disturbing findings at the crime scene. “Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, sign of struggle in the bathroom and looks like someone hit him in bathroom based on blood spots,” she stated, characterizing the death as a “cold-blooded murder declared by authorities as suicide.”
Responding to Ramarao’s allegations, Elon Musk wrote on X, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide,” lending significant weight to the family’s demands for a federal investigation.
Balaji had emerged as a prominent critic of OpenAI shortly before his death. In October, he publicly accused the company of copyright violations in an interview with The New York Times, specifically regarding their data collection practices for AI model training. He had resigned from his position at OpenAI in August after nearly four years, citing ethical concerns about the company’s practices.
The last known contact with Balaji was a phone call with his father, Balaji Ramamurthy, on November 22. During this conversation, they discussed Balaji’s birthday celebration plans in Los Angeles, with Ramamurthy noting that his son was “in a good mood” and “having a good time.”
To support their pursuit of justice, the family has launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised $20,000 in three days. The funds will be used for an extensive private investigation, including digital forensics and crime scene analysis, with private investigator costs ranging from $500-800 per hour.
OpenAI has previously disputed Balaji’s allegations about their data practices, stating that their use of training data complies with fair use principles and legal standards.
The case has ignited broader discussions about whistleblower protection in the tech industry and the ethical implications of AI development, as pressure mounts for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Balaji’s death.
Source: Economic Times
