Congressman Ro Khanna Calls for Investigation Into Death of OpenAI Whistleblower Amid Foul Play Suspicions and New York Times Lawsuit

Jan 15, 2025, 10:54 PM

Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI employee who had publicly accused the company of violating federal copyright laws, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment. His death, initially ruled a suicide by the San Francisco County Medical Examiner's Office, has been questioned by his family, who suspect foul play. Balaji's mother, Rao Poornima, appeared on Tucker Carlson's show, alleging that her son was murdered due to his whistleblowing activities. Congressman Ro Khanna has called for a 'full and transparent' investigation into Balaji's death, responding to concerns raised by Balaji's mother. Balaji had been named as a key witness in a lawsuit filed by The New York Times against OpenAI, which added to the scrutiny surrounding his death. Before his death, Balaji, who maintained a 4.0 GPA at UC Berkeley, was planning to start a new venture with his colleague Tyler Rizzo and had interviewed with a Canadian company. He had previously worked on the ChatGPT team under John Shklovan at OpenAI.