The passing of former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji last year has been widely discussed publicly and elicited statements from several high-profile individuals in the tech industry around the world. The details surrounding the death have been addressed in different ways by different parties; OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has termed it a suicide, while billionaire Elon Musk has called it a murder. Suchir Balaji was a 26-year-old Indian-origin AI researcher who was found dead on November 26, 2024, in his San Francisco apartment. He had been with OpenAI for more than four years and had helped develop ChatGPT. However, his relationship with the firm soured when they released their flagship product publicly. In August 2024, Balaji resigned from OpenAI on principle, later telling The New York Times that he thought the company was illegally using copyrighted materials to train its AI models, which he called an unsustainable and harmful act against the internet. His sudden death, mere months after publicly becoming a critic and immediately after being named in a copyright suit against OpenAI, sent shockwaves throughout the industry. The controversy was revisited recently when commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed Sam Altman on September 10, 2025. Carlson detailed a number of unsettling facts, such as cut surveillance wires, blood in several rooms, and that Suchir Balaji had just ordered food and returned from a vacation with friends to support his theory that Balaji was murdered. Carlson stated, "He was definitely murdered, I think," and noted that Balaji's mother felt her son was "murdered on [Altman's] orders."In response, Sam Altman revealed that he was shaken by the tragedy but defended the official conclusions after reading the legal and medical documents. He also had a difficult time with Carlson's framing of the queries and said:"It looks like a suicide to me..."You understand how this sounds like an accusation? I haven't done too many interviews where I've been accused of [murder]"Elon Musk reacted to Altman's response during the interview on X, writing, "He was murdered"The authorities in San Francisco, along with the office of the medical examiner, concluded that it was a self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound, but Balaji's family vehemently disagreed with this conclusion, referring to it as "a cold-blooded murder," and stating that the independent autopsy found indications of a second gunshot wound, as well as evidence of injury from a struggle.Altman on Musk's role at OpenAI and their subsequent rivalryDuring his interview with Tucker Carlson, Sam Altman spoke of his unique relationship with OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk. Altman said he appreciated Musk's help at the beginning and mentioned once holding Musk in high regard, stating,"He helped us start OpenAI. I'm very grateful for that. I really, for a long time, looked up to him as just an incredible hero, and you know, a great jewel of humanity."However, Altman added that his feelings had changed, saying, "I have different feelings now."When pressed by Carlson to elaborate on those changed feelings, Altman stated, "There are things about him that are incredible, and I'm grateful for a lot of things he's done. There's a lot of things about him that I think are traits I don't admire."He attributed the tension to Elon Musk's departure from the project, asserting that Musk thought OpenAI had a "0% chance of success" and chose to compete against the company. Once the company became successful, Altman asserted that Musk was "understandably frustrated" about that and "has been trying to sort of slow us down and sue us and do this and that." The variety of narratives surrounding Suchir Balaji's death, including the police's conclusion, the family's call for an independent investigation, and contrasting statements from key industry advocates, has drawn widespread public attention to the case. The focus reflects the intense scrutiny on the artificial intelligence industry regarding ethical issues, intellectual property, and corporate influence.