OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji's death needs to be investigated further. The young man was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on the 26th of November. The authorities allege that the 26 year old had killed himself by gunshot.
Suchir's parents remain unconvinced and arranged for an independent investigation and a second autopsy. They state that there were signs of struggle and that the private autopsy results do not confirm the cause of death as stated by the police. Suchir's mother shared this information on her Twitter X account, to which Elon Musk also replied “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”
Suchir's parents now request an FBI investigation. This must be granted. Additionally, any other independent investigation that they want also need to be carried out and any information that they seek need to be provided to them without delay. This is the least that the authorities can do to help Suchir's bereaved parents.
Here are some of the reasons that lead one to suspect foul play in Suchir's death and support his parents’ requests for a fresh investigation into it:
Suchir Balaji's parents sound very credible when they say they spoke to him just a few hours before he allegedly suicided. They report that he sounded quite chirpy and cheerful as he was returning from a holiday after celebrating his birthday with his friends. He was also looking forward to a gift from his father Balaji Ramamurthy.
Suchir's resignation from OpenAI did not leave him financially distressed. In fact, Suchir was financially stable for a 26 year old. His parents report that he had enough in OpenAI stocks to buy his own house in future.
Suchir's parents report that Suchir had told them that money was not important to him and that he wanted to offer a service to humanity.
Suchir had plans to build a machine learning non-profit in the medical field. He wanted to contribute to the world in a positive way and was very much looking forward to it.
None of this sounds like a young man who wanted to give up on his life.
The cops did not allow Suchir's mother Poornima Ramarao to enter Suchir's apartment for hours until they were ready to stretcher his body out. Suchir's mother, therefore, did not get to see the way Suchir was when the cops found him.
Suchir's mother reports that his apartment had been ransacked and that there were signs of struggle and blood spots in the bathroom that looked like someone had hit him. We will return to the issue of ransacked apartment shortly.
Suchir spoke up against OpenAI — an AI company valued at over $150 Billions which had significant ties with various US Federal Agencies, including the US Department of Defense.
Suchir's mother points out that she was very scared and worried for her son after he blew the whistle and gave an interview to The New York Times. She had expressed to him that he should have gone as a group and not alone as there is strength and safety in numbers. Poornima says Suchir heard her concerns, acknowledged her anxiety, and that he assured her that he is seeking the support of like-minded people and building a team.
Following his interview with NYT, lawyers for NYT included Suchir's name in their copyrights infringement against OpenAI and Microsoft stating that Suchir had the necessary evidence to help with their case. NYT attorneys named Suchir as a “custodian” with “unique and relevant documents” to support their case.
Given Poornima Ramarao's reaction to Suchir's whistleblowing and Suchir acknowledging his mother's concerns, it is reasonable to assume that Suchir himself was not interested in getting involved in NYT's self-serving legal case.
Additionally, if Suchir had evidence against OpenAI on copyright issues, perhaps the perpetrators suspected that he also had other material or secret information of even greater significance given OpenAI's ties to the DoD and other private enterprises.
HERE IS WHERE THE RANSACKED APARTMENT BECOMES A SIGNIFICANT POINT TO CONSIDER. The attorneys for NYT added his name to their case just a day before his death. Did someone get worried about the kind of information that Suchir might have had in his possession?
There are way too many unanswered questions in this case and many suspect some sort of retaliation or foul play. The requests of Suchir's parents are very reasonable and must be granted without delay. They have lost the light of their lives. Justice needs to be done so that they can seek closure and begin healing.
Links to online petition and fundraiser to support Suchir's parents are included below.
Sources:
1. Suchir Balaji's website
2. Suchir Balaji's interview with NYT
3. Poornima Ramarao's interview with Business Insider
4. Poornima Ramarao’s Twitter X post on private investigation and a second autopsy
https://x.com/RaoPoornima/status/1873282982150324393
5. Change dot Org petition demanding a comprehensive investigation into Suchir's death
https://www.change.org/p/demand-a-comprehensive-investigation-into-suchir-balaji-s-death/c
6. A report on Poornima Ramarao's interview with the Bay Area News Group
7. A news report on this issue shared by Suchir's mother
8. GoFundMe fundraiser started by Suchir's mother to support an in-depth private forensic investigation into Suchir's death
https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-suchir-balaji
-- The Solitary Reaper