ChatGPT maker OpenAI on Friday reacted to whistleblower Suchir Balaji’s death, saying that he was a “valued member” of their team. The Sam Altman-led company’s statement comes days after the mother of Mr Balaji – who was found dead in his San Francisco apartment in November – criticised and blamed OpenAI for her son’s death.
“Suchir was a valued member of our team and we are still heartbroken by his passing. We continue to feel his loss deeply. We have reached out to the San Francisco Police Department and have offered our assistance if it’s needed. Law enforcement are the right authorities in this situation, and we trust them to continue sharing updates as needed,” OpenAI said in a statement.
It added that “out of respect”, they will not comment further on the issue.
— OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) January 16, 2025
Mr Balaji, who died in November, had turned a whistleblower against OpenAI. He had publicly raised ethical concerns about the AI giant’s practices.
An initial investigation concluded that Mr Balaji’s death was an act of suicide. However, since then, his family has called for an FBI investigation. They also highlighted several lapses and alleging that Mr Balaji was murdered. Following this, the San Francisco Police Department reopened the case as an “active investigation”, but did not share any further details.
Also Read | What OpenAI Whistleblower Suchir Balaji Revealed About The Dark Side Of AI Before Death
Suchir Balaji’s mother’s claims
Earlier this week, Mr Balaji’s mother Poornima Rao alleged that OpenAI killed her son to “hide something they want nobody to know”. According to her, Mr Balaji had documents against the ChatGPT maker and knew what they were up to.
In an interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson, Ms Rao said, “My son had documents against OpenAI. They attacked him and killed him. Some documents were even missing after his death…My son celebrated his birthday a day before he died. What more do we need to give on account that he was in a happy mood?”
She also accused OpenAI of hushing up the investigation and any possible witnesses.
“Everybody is suppressed, nobody is ready to come up and tell the truth. Even the attorneys have been made to say that it is a suicide,” she said.
In another interview with an influencer on X, Ms Rao accused OpenAI of failing to recognise her son’s contributions to their flagship product, ChatGPT. But what bothered him was that there was no recognition for his work until he passed away. Even now, there’s no acknowledgment from OpenAI of his contributions. That’s very unfortunate,” she told X user Mario Nawfal.
Mr Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before he resigned in 2023. In his resignation, Mr Balaji had expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s shift to a for-profit model.