While interviewing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this week, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson brought up his belief in a conspiracy theory that former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji was “definitely murdered.” The researcher’s death in November 2024, which was ruled a suicide by the San Francisco police, followed his release of statements online and in a New York Times article calling out OpenAI’s tech for alleged copyright violations.
In their back-and-forth about a half-hour into the chat, Carlson bluntly explains his reasons for believing the theory, and that “[Balji’s] mother claims he was murdered on your orders.” Altman brings up the police reports and their findings after an investigation, later remarking, “I feel strange and sad debating this, and having to defend myself seems totally crazy, and you are a little bit accusing me,” even as Carlson denies doing so.
Balaji had said that he was able to, using mathematical analysis, support the conclusion that “OpenAI’s use of copyrighted data violated the law and that technologies like ChatGPT were damaging the internet.” He had been set to testify in the Times’ lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. However, intellectual property lawyers cited in a report by Fortune said his arguments appeared to misunderstand copyright law, and it notes that he hadn’t released new inside information about the company, which some former employees turned whistleblowers have.
Balaji’s mother has said she believes he was murdered to benefit OpenAI and other artificial intelligence companies, citing the absence of a note and findings of experts she’s hired. She appeared on Carlson’s show earlier this year, in an episode titled “Mother of Likely Murdered OpenAI Whistleblower Reveals All, Calls for Investigation of Sam Altman.” Her view has been promoted since Balaji’s death by Elon Musk and many people around him, as well as several elected officials.
You can watch the relevant segment of the interview here, but this is what Carlson and Altman said that stuck out:
Carlson: “…he was definitely murdered, I think… there were signs of a struggle, of course. The surveillance camera, the wires had been cut. He had just ordered take-out food, come back from a vacation with his friends on Catalina Island. No indication at all that he was suicidal. No note and no behavior. He had just spoken to a family member on the phone.
And then he’s found dead with blood in multiple rooms. So that’s impossible. Seems really obvious he was murdered. Have you talked to the authorities about it?”
Altman: I have not talked to the authorities about it.
Carlson: “Um, and his mother claims he was murdered on your orders. “
Altman: “Do you believe that?”
Carlson: “I- I’m, Well, I’m I’m asking.”
Altman: “I mean… you, you just said it, so do you, do you believe that?
Carlson: “I think that it is, um, worth looking into. And I don’t… I mean, if a guy comes out and accuses your company of committing crimes, I have no idea if that’s true or not, of course. Um, and then he is found killed, and there are signs of a struggle. I… I don’t think it’s worth dismissing it…I don’t think we should say, well, he killed himself when there’s no evidence that the guy was depressed at all. Um, I think… and if he was your friend, I would think he would want to speak to his mom or…
Altman: “I did offer, she didn’t want to.”
Carlson: “So, do you feel that, you know, when people look at that and they’re like, you know, it’s possible that happened. Do you feel that that reflects the worries they have about what’s happening here? Like people are afraid that this is like…”
Altman: “I haven’t done too many interviews where I’ve been accused of, like…”
Carlson: “Oh, I’m not accusing you at all. I’m just saying his, his mother says that.”