Elon Musk doubts suicide in Suchir Balaji's death, backs FBI probe

Elon Musk supports claims of foul play in death of Suchir Balaji, OpenAI whistleblower, after suspicious findings.

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The mysterious death of Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI employee and whistleblower, has raised suspicions of foul play rather than the official suicide ruling.

Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26, 2023, just a month after publicly accusing OpenAI of copyright violations.

His mother, Poornima Ramarao, has expressed disbelief over the police's findings, launching her own investigation into the cause of his death.

In a post shared on X, Ramarao revealed that a second autopsy and private investigation contradicted the police's conclusion, suggesting the possibility of murder.

She claimed that her son's apartment showed signs of being ransacked, with a noticeable struggle in the bathroom and bloodstains indicating an altercation. “It’s a cold-blooded murder declared by authorities as suicide,” Ramarao said, urging the FBI to look into the case.

Balaji had been vocal about his concerns regarding OpenAI's practices, particularly their use of copyrighted materials to train AI models.

He resigned from the company in October 2023, a few weeks before his death, citing ethical and legal concerns over the company’s practices.

The accusations, which alleged OpenAI's use of scraped data without proper authorization, were part of a larger debate about the legalities of AI model training.

Elon Musk, a known critic of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, publicly supported Ramarao’s claims, tweeting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide,” adding to the growing suspicion surrounding Balaji’s death.

Musk's backing further amplifies the demand for a more thorough investigation into what some now suspect could have been an attempt on Balaji’s life rather than an unfortunate suicide.

As the investigation unfolds, many are calling for a deeper probe into both Balaji's death and the practices at OpenAI, with growing concern over the potential ramifications of a larger conspiracy involving the company.