Altman Confronted Over Balaji Murder Conspiracy

13 Sep 2025

While interviewing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson raised a conspiracy theory that former OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji was “definitely murdered.” Balaji died in November 2024; San Francisco police ruled his death a suicide. The exchange — about 30 minutes into Carlson’s interview — pressed Altman on allegations from Balaji and comments from Balaji’s family, with Carlson noting signs he says indicate a struggle and claiming Balaji’s mother believes he was “murdered on your orders.” Altman pointed to police reports and said he hadn’t spoken to authorities, adding he felt “strange and sad” defending himself against the implication.



Balaji had published mathematical analyses and public statements asserting OpenAI’s training practices violated copyright and harmed the web; he was expected to be a witness in the New York Times’ lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. Reporting cited by The Verge notes intellectual‑property lawyers told Fortune his legal arguments appeared to misunderstand copyright law and that he hadn’t released new inside information of the kind some whistleblowers have. Balaji’s mother has publicly pushed the murder claim, and the theory has been promoted by high‑profile figures including Elon Musk and some elected officials.



The Verge article reproduces the portion of the interview where Carlson presses Altman and Altman responds by asking whether Carlson believes the accusation and noting he had offered to speak to Balaji’s mother.