Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reignited controversy surrounding the mysterious death of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji, claiming that the 26-year-old software engineer was murdered. The Tech tycoon was responding to a recent interview of OpenAI chief Sam Altman by Tucker Carlson that touched on the death of Balaji.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk has reignited debate about the death of Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI software engineer who had gone to the New York Times with allegations of copyright violations by his employer. Musk stated, “He was murdered,” despite investigators concluding earlier this year that Balaji had taken his own life with a gun.
The claim comes on the heels of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show, where the topic of Balaji’s death was discussed. During the interview, Carlson presented evidence supporting the theory that Balaji was murdered, a theory supported by Balaji’s mother, to which Altman responded defensively, stating, “It looks like a suicide to me.”
Suchir Balaji, who passed away last year at the age of 26, had approached the New York Times months before his death, alleging that OpenAI had committed illegal copyright violations. He was also prepared to testify as a witness in the newspaper’s lawsuit against the company. His death quickly became a major point of contention, with his family refusing to accept the investigator’s findings and filing a lawsuit against the San Francisco Police Department to release the full report.
Musk’s claim could be partly motivated by his ongoing feud with Altman, which has escalated into a full-blown legal battle over the years. The implication of his tweet is that OpenAI, or those associated with it, may have secretly orchestrated Balaji’s murder to prevent him from testifying against the company.
Breitbart News will continue to report on Elon Musk’s legal war with Openai and the Balaji family’s quest for justice.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
