Thread by @5149jamesli

A 26 year-old ex-OpenAI engineer. Whistleblower in major lawsuits. Billions at stake. Dead under mysterious circumstances — suicide or foul play?

Here’s everything we know so far about the tragic death of Suchir Balaji — and the many questions that demand answers.

Mega 🧵1/

2/ AI for Good?

Suchir Balaji joined OpenAI in 2020, believing in its potential to do good. But over time became concerned over its use of copyrighted material to train AI. He left in August 2024 and two months later, publicly accused OpenAI of violating U.S. copyright laws.

3/ His Final Warning:

On Oct 23, 2024, Suchir Balaji dropped a bombshell revelation that threatens not just OpenAI’s financial future but the entire profit-driven AI industry — a proof that ChatGPT pulls up to 94% of its responses from copyrighted sources.

More on this later.

4/ An "Apparent Suicide"

Less than a month later, Balaji was dead.

According to the SFPD, officers went to Balaji’s SF apartment for a wellness check and upon arrival, they found a deceased male. The medical examiner's office concluded "no evidence of foul play".

5/ But the "crime scene" told a different story:

- Multiple pools of blood, suggesting movement or a struggle
- Hair under the bathroom door
- Displaced items: floss, earbuds, a toppled trashcan
- No suicide note

Does this sound like suicide to you?

6/ The Days Proceeding

Days before his death, Suchir celebrated his 26th birthday on a trip to Catalina Island with friends. He was described as upbeat, sharing plans for a new AI startup. He spoke with his parents hours before his death.

Nothing seemed amiss.

7/ The Prevailing Theory

Here is investigative journalist @RealGeorgeWebb1, who was on-site at Balaji's apartment, describing how Suchir may have been struck from behind before being forced to kneel in his bathroom, and then ultimately shot at point blank range.

8/ A Missing Backup Drive

Balaji’s laptop and backup drive — potential key evidence for lawsuits against OpenAI were seized by SFPD. Why would suicide warrant confiscation of such devices?

Reports also suggest his apartment was ransacked. Was someone searching for that drive?

9/ If there’s a murder, there must be a motive.🤔

Could Balaji’s death be tied to the booming AI industry? Did his whistleblowing threaten OpenAI or other global rivals? Who stood to lose billions — or even trillions — if his evidence surfaced? 👇

10/ Sam Altman & OpenAI

Balaji’s whistleblowing focused on ChatGPT’s use of copyrighted data. As OpenAI shifts to for-profit, lawsuits by the @nytimes and others alleged copyright violations that, if proven, could cost billions and cripple its dominance in the AI market.

11/ The Global AI Battle

Balaji’s whistleblowing threatened more than OpenAI — it exposed practices like data scraping that power rivals like China’s Deep Seek.

With trillions at stake in the AI race, was silencing him a way to protect the industry’s secrets and its profits?

12/ The final question: Is the SFPD compromised?

They ruled Balaji’s death a suicide almost instantly, seized key devices, and withheld evidence. With Sam Altman on SF’s mayoral transition team, are Big Tech and AI interests squashing the investigation?

13/ The Fight Isn't Over

Credit to @RealGeorgeWebb1 for shedding light on this case and to Suchir’s brave parents, @RaoPoornima and @nspicker101, for their courage in seeking the truth. We owe it to them — and to Suchir — to see this through and demand justice.