Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI which created ChatGPT, has finally addressed the controversy around the death of Suchir Balaji.
Balaji was working for OpenAI for almost 4 years
Balaji had worked for OpenAI for almost four years, having helped bring ChatGPT to life in 2022.
But while he played a role in the launch of the AI chatbot, he told the New York Times about issues he had with OpenAI, accusing the company of breaking copyright laws.
He was found dead in his apartment
Only a month after the tell-all article was published, Balaji was found dead in his apartment in San Francisco.
While the medical examiner’s office determined his death was caused by suicide and ruled out foul play, Balaji’s parents didn’t believe so.
Balaji’s parents aren’t convinced it’s suicide
The 26-year-old’s parents, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, said they don’t believe he died by suicide.
In February, they filed a lawsuit claiming that San Francisco officials have denied them access to reports which detail the police investigation around their son’s death.
Altman has recently addressed the incident
In a sit down with commentator and host Tucker Carlson, Sam Altman addressed the controversial death of Balaji.
Altman said, “This was like, not a close friend, but someone who worked at OpenAI for a very long time. I was shaken by this tragedy. It looks like a suicide to me.”
He felt Balaji’s death was initially ‘suspicious’
The CEO admitted that Balaji’s death sounded ‘very suspicious’ to him at first, but he was later convinced that it was a suicide after more details were revealed about the whistleblower’s death.
But the host still suggested that Balaji was killed
Carlson still suggested that Balaji had been murdered, which had Altman responding, “This is a wonderful person and a family that is clearly struggling.”
“I think his memory and his family deserve to be treated with a level of respect and grief that I don’t quite feel here.”
RELATED STORIES
He feels it makes sense that the family wants answers
“If I were his family I am sure I would want answers and I’m sure I would not be satisfied… There’s nothing that would comfort me in that. I get it. I also care a lot about respect to him,” Altman later added.
Balaji’s mother has spoken to outlets
The 26-year-old’s mother, Poornima, has previously spoken to ABC7 News, telling the outlet that she doesn’t believe Balaji died by suicide.
The mother said, “He made plans to see us in January. That was the last phone conversation he had with anyone.”
She’s not convinced by it
Poornima went on, “He went into his apartment and never came out. How can anyone believe that there was no suicide note left?”
“And there was nobody else on the scene, that doesn’t mean they can just come to conclusion. And we have seen the blood shots in the bathroom, signs of fight in the bathroom.”
