The family of deceased OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji have called on the FBI to look into his death, believing the San Francisco police lack the tools to conduct a proper investigation.
Balaji’s parents refuse to believe suicide was the official cause of death, as ruled by San Francisco’s office of the chief medical examiner and that issues such as cybersecurity and whistleblower protection warrant a deeper look into the case.
Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer, had publicly spoken out against the company in a New York Times interview, where he alleged that the tech company had violated US copyright law while developing its world-renowned ChatGPT.
The 26-year-old worked at the tech company for four years and helped train the AI systems that run through ChatGPT before quitting in August last year after becoming disillusioned with the company.
Balaji’s body was found in his San Francisco apartment on 26 November, a month after his interview with the New York Times.
The Elon Musk-backed OpenAI is now the target of a number of lawsuits brought by publishers across North America - including the New York Times and novel writer John Grisham - accusing it of illegally using their intellectual property.
A November survey of 800 IT leaders across the U.S., U.K., Germany and Australia voted the $157 billion OpenAI as the fourth most sought-after vendor worldwide to engage with in 2025.
Balaji’s parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they would still seek answers, who described their son as a “happy, smart and brave young man”.