Elon Musk Jumps Into Controversy Over OpenAI Whistleblower

Tucker Carlson printed a brand new interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Wednesday during which the 2 males mentioned some fairly darkish matters. Altman additionally talked about his beef with Elon Musk, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than the Tesla CEO chimed in on X along with his personal ideas, definitively claiming {that a} whistleblower at OpenAI “was murdered,” in a tweet Thursday.

Throughout the episode, Carlson and Altman speak about Suchir Balaji, a researcher at OpenAI who died on Nov. 26, 2024. Balaji had accused OpenAI of violating U.S. copyright legislation a couple of weeks previous to his demise. And whereas it was ruled a suicide, his mom stated he was murdered.

He was murdered https://t.co/KDaomi5AlJ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2025

Carlson had Balaji’s mom, Poornima Ramarao, on his podcast back in January and insisted that the 26-year-old whistleblower was murdered throughout his dialog with Altman.

“So that you’ve had complaints from one programmer who stated you guys have been mainly stealing folks’s stuff and never paying them. After which he wound up murdered. What was that?” Carlson stated.

“Additionally, a fantastic tragedy, he dedicated suicide,” Altman stated.

Carlson pressed Altman, asking if he actually thought Balaji killed himself. Altman replied, “I actually do.”

“This was like a pal of mine, this was like a man that—not an in depth pal, however this was somebody that labored at OpenAI for a really very long time,” Altman continued. “I spent… I imply, I used to be actually shaken by this tragedy. I spent a number of time attempting to learn all the things I might, as I’m positive you and others did, too, about what occurred. It appears like a suicide to me.”

“Why does it seem like a suicide?” Carlson requested.

“It was a gun he had bought. It was the—that is like ugly to speak about, however I learn the entire medical document. Does it not seem like one to you?” Altman stated.

Carlson stated he undoubtedly thinks it was homicide, saying there have been indicators of a battle, “surveillance wires had been lower,” amongst different proof he believes proves there was foul play. Carlson additionally instructed Altman that Balaji’s mom “believes he was murdered in your orders.”

Altman requested Carlson if he believed that, and Carlson tried to keep away from answering earlier than saying, “I consider that it’s value trying into.” Carlson insisted, “I’m not accusing you in any respect,” after Altman began to say one thing about being accused and was lower off.

“You perceive how this seems like an accusation…” Altman says.

“After all. And I, I imply, I actually… let me simply be clear as soon as once more, not accusing you of any wrongdoing, however I believe it’s value discovering out what occurred,” Carlson replied. “And I don’t perceive why the town of San Francisco has refused to research it past simply calling it a suicide.”

Altman stated that “his reminiscence and his household need to be handled with a stage of respect and grief that I don’t fairly really feel right here.” Carlson shot again that he was asking on the behest of his household.

Carlson pivoted to speaking about Elon Musk and his assaults on Altman, asking what the “core” of their dispute is perhaps about. Altman talked about how he’s grateful to Musk for serving to him begin OpenAI. The 2 males have been co-founders earlier than Musk was pushed out of the group.

“There are issues about him which might be unbelievable, and I’m grateful for lots of issues he’s finished. There’s a number of issues about him that I believe are traits I don’t admire,” Altman stated.

As Altman places it, Musk has tried to “gradual us down” ever since he obtained pushed out, submitting lawsuits and claiming that OpenAI is betraying its authentic mission.

Once they weren’t speaking about Musk, suicide, and homicide, issues nonetheless obtained very heavy. Carlson spent a lot of the interview both deliberately hyping the scariness of AI or being genuinely frightened of what it’s able to.

“It doesn’t appear fairly like a machine. It looks like it has the spark of life to it,” Carlson requested, claiming that it has some form of “autonomy or spirit inside it.”

Carlson repeatedly requested Altman about his non secular beliefs. Altman stated that he’s Jewish, which wasn’t sufficient for Carlson, who stored probing about whether or not he believed in God.

“I requested as a result of it looks like the know-how that you just’re creating or shepherding into existence can have extra energy than folks… on this present trajectory,” Carlson stated.

The previous Fox Information host badgered Altman about the place he will get his “ethical framework” if not from the next energy.

“I imply, like everyone else, I believe the setting I used to be introduced up in in all probability is the most important factor. Like my household, my group, my college, my faith, in all probability that,” Altman stated.

It’s truly a bit baffling that Altman agreed to do that interview, given the best way that Carlson discusses AI and tech leaders on his present. Carlson usually talks about them as godless freaks who’re attempting to construct their very own god within the machine. And Altman appeared at instances blindsided by the questions on matters like suicide, the place Carlson clearly tried to painting Altman as chilly and out of contact with the morality of on a regular basis folks.

“The fantastic thing about a faith is it admits it’s a faith, and it tells you what it stands for,” Carlson instructed Altman. “The unsettling a part of this know-how—not simply your organization, however others—is that I don’t know what it stands for, nevertheless it does stand for one thing. And except it admits that and tells us what it stands for, then it guides us in a form of stealthy approach towards a conclusion we could not even know we’re reaching.”