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The case of Suchir Balaji has brought together a coalition of right-wing pundits, conspiracy-minded journalists, crypto enthusiasts — and the software engineer’s own family. Suchir Balaji stands in a concrete-walled space, illuminated by diagonal light and shadow patterns. He wears a black shirt, dark pants, and white sneakers. Published Jan. 08, 2025 • 6:00am
It didn’t take long for Suchir Balaji’s death to become a conspiracy.
San Francisco police had only just announced the death of the 26-year-old — a software engineer who had recently made damaging claims about OpenAI, his former employer — when the speculation exploded.
Something “ nefarious ” happened to Balaji, observers posited on X after he was found dead Nov. 26 in his Buchanan Street apartment. He was the victim of a “ hit .” The circumstances were “ very suspicious .” He must have been assassinated, posters said, to prevent him from further harming one of the world’s most valuable AI companies.
San Francisco authorities ruled the death a suicide, and police said they found “no evidence of foul play.” But in the absence of further information, the story has taken on a life of its own. A coalition of right-wing pundits, conspiracy-minded journalists, crypto enthusiasts, and now, Balaji’s parents, are filling the information vacuum, with some exploiting his death to generate millions off a crypto coin named in his memory. A family in shock
Like all good conspiracy theories, this one begins with solid facts: A month before his death, Balaji told The New York Times that OpenAI, his employer of four years, was illegally training ChatGPT on copyrighted data. He later pledged to testify in The Times’ lawsuit against OpenAI, the Associated Press reported .
On Dec. 14, nearly three weeks after his death, Balaji’s mother took to X with a shocking message : “We are the parents of happy, smart and brave young man Suchir, found dead in his [apartment] on 11/26/2024,” Poornima Ramarao wrote. “We are seeking to know complete truth, we need more answers.”
Ramarao tagged X owner Elon Musk, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Vivek Ramaswamy in the post, which was followed by […]
OpenAI whistleblower’s death sparks dark conspiracy theories
