Suchir Balaji's mother Poornima alleges the Open AI researcher was murdered in cold-blood

Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old Indian American researcher and former OpenAI employee, was tragically found dead in his San Francisco apartment on November 26, 2024. The San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a suicide. Despite this, Suchir's family has raised questions about the circumstances, urging a thorough investigation.

Suchir had expressed growing unease about OpenAI's practices, particularly regarding its use of internet-sourced data for training AI models, which he believed infringed copyright laws. He resigned from OpenAI in August 2024, disillusioned by what he saw as a departure from the company’s original mission of ensuring AI benefits humanity. In an October interview with The New York Times, Suchir voiced his ethical concerns, and his mother, Poornima Ramarao Balaji, now reflects on his troubled state during this period. “This is not a normal situation," she told Business Insider.

Later she wrote on X, "Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, a sign of struggle in the bathroom and it looks like someone hit him in the bathroom based on blood spots. It’s a cold-blooded mu*d*r declared by authorities as suicide. Lobbying in SF City doesn’t stop us from getting justice. We demand FBi investigation."

Poornima remembered her son as a prodigious talent, displaying brilliance from a young age. At two, he spoke in complex sentences, and by 13, he had built his first computer. At 17, he joined Quora as a programmer while pursuing his education. Suchir later attended UC Berkeley, where he won a $100,000 TSA-sponsored challenge. In 2018, his expertise led him to OpenAI, where he contributed to the development of ChatGPT. However, as OpenAI's direction shifted under CEO Sam Altman, Suchir grew increasingly critical, believing the company’s actions posed a risk to humanity.

Poornima shared her fears about Suchir’s outspoken stance, cautioning him during their last conversation to protect himself. “I told him not to go alone in his fight against corporate wrongdoing," she said. Hours before his death, Suchir celebrated his birthday and appeared cheerful, leaving his family questioning what could have gone wrong so quickly.

The family has requested a private autopsy and continues to demand clarity about the events surrounding Suchir’s passing. Poornima remains steadfast in her quest for answers, emphasizing, “We want to leave the question open. It doesn’t look like a normal situation.”