Court records or official announcements from the New York Times or OpenAI

26-Year-Old OpenAI Whistleblower's Death Sparks FBI Investigation Call

Jan 16, 2025, 12:47 AM

Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment in November 2024. Balaji had publicly accused OpenAI of copyright violations, alleging the company used proprietary and copyrighted data to train its AI systems, including ChatGPT. Days before his death, Balaji, identified as a custodian witness for The New York Times in a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI, was set to testify. California authorities initially ruled his death a suicide, but his family has raised concerns, citing evidence of foul play, including a questionable gunshot angle and signs of a struggle, as noted in an autopsy by Dr. Joseph Cohen. His mother, Poornima Ramarao, has called for an FBI investigation, supported by Congressman Ro Khanna, who stated, "There should be a full and transparent investigation into the death by the FBI or appropriate agency." A GoFundMe campaign to support a private investigation has raised $81,600. Balaji’s death has drawn widespread attention, with critics questioning OpenAI’s practices and the circumstances surrounding his demise.