Former OpenAI Engineer and Whistleblower Suchir Balaji's Death Ruled a Suicide

The 26-year-old, who raised concerns about AI copyright practices, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment last month.

Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer who played a key role in developing ChatGPT, died by suicide on November 26, according to San Francisco officials.
Balaji had expressed concerns about potential copyright violations in AI training practices and was named in legal filings related to lawsuits against OpenAI.
He worked at OpenAI for nearly four years, contributing to projects like WebGPT and GPT-4, before leaving the company in August 2024.
Balaji’s departure followed growing disillusionment with OpenAI’s direction, including concerns over misinformation and ethical issues in AI development.
A memorial service for Balaji is planned at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, near his hometown of Cupertino.