Tucker Carlson asks Sam Altman if an OpenAI employee was murdered ‘on your orders’

While interviewing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this week, former Fox News big Tucker Carlson brought up his content successful a conspiracy mentation that erstwhile OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji was “definitely murdered.” The researcher’s decease successful November 2024, which was ruled a termination by the San Francisco police, followed his merchandise of statements online and successful a New York Times nonfiction calling retired OpenAI’s tech for alleged copyright violations. 

In their back-and-forth astir a half-hour into the chat, Carlson bluntly explains his reasons for believing the theory, and that “[Balji’s] parent claims helium was murdered connected your orders.” Altman brings up the constabulary reports and their findings aft an investigation, aboriginal remarking, “I consciousness unusual and bittersweet debating this, and having to support myself seems wholly crazy, and you are a small spot accusing me,” adjacent arsenic Carlson denies doing so.

Balaji had said that helium was capable to, utilizing mathematical analysis, enactment the decision that “OpenAI’s usage of copyrighted information violated the instrumentality and that technologies similar ChatGPT were damaging the internet.” He had been acceptable to attest successful the Times’ suit against OpenAI and Microsoft. However, intelligence spot lawyers cited successful a study by Fortune said his arguments appeared to misunderstand copyright law, and it notes that helium hadn’t released caller wrong accusation astir the company, which immoderate erstwhile employees turned whistleblowers have.

Balaji’s parent has said she believes helium was murdered to payment OpenAI and different artificial quality companies, citing the lack of a enactment and findings of experts she’s hired. She appeared connected Carlson’s amusement earlier this year, successful an occurrence titled “Mother of Likely Murdered OpenAI Whistleblower Reveals All, Calls for Investigation of Sam Altman.” Her presumption has been promoted since Balaji’s decease by Elon Musk and galore radical astir him, arsenic good arsenic respective elected officials.

You tin watch the applicable conception of the interrogation here, but this is what Carlson and Altman said that stuck out:

Carlson: “…he was decidedly murdered, I think… determination were signs of a struggle, of course. The surveillance camera, the wires had been cut. He had conscionable ordered take-out food, travel backmost from a abrogation with his friends connected Catalina Island. No denotation astatine each that helium was suicidal. No enactment and nary behavior. He had conscionable spoken to a household subordinate connected the phone.

And past he’s recovered dormant with humor successful aggregate rooms. So that’s impossible. Seems truly evident helium was murdered. Have you talked to the authorities astir it?”

Altman:  I person not talked to the authorities astir it. 

Carlson: “Um, and his parent claims helium was murdered connected your orders. “

Altman: “Do you judge that?”

Carlson: “I- I’m, Well, I’m I’m asking.”

Altman: “I mean… you, you conscionable said it, truthful bash you, bash you judge that? 

Carlson: “I deliberation that it is, um, worthy looking into. And I don’t… I mean, if a feline comes retired and accuses your institution of committing crimes, I person nary thought if that’s existent oregon not, of course. Um, and past helium is recovered killed, and determination are signs of a struggle. I… I don’t deliberation it’s worthy dismissing it…I don’t deliberation we should say, well, helium killed himself erstwhile there’s nary grounds that the feline was depressed astatine all. Um, I think… and if helium was your friend, I would deliberation helium would privation to talk to his ma or…

Altman: “I did offer, she didn’t privation to.”

Carlson: “So, bash you consciousness that, you know, erstwhile radical look astatine that and they’re like, you know, it’s imaginable that happened. Do you consciousness that that reflects the worries they person astir what’s happening here? Like radical are acrophobic that this is like…”

Altman: “I haven’t done excessively galore interviews wherever I’ve been accused of, like…”

Carlson: “Oh, I’m not accusing you astatine all. I’m conscionable saying his, his parent says that.”