Tucker Carlson took his affinity for conspiracy theories to a whole new level this week.
During an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the former Fox News star asked the CEO if he order the killing of one of his former employees.
Suchir Balaji, who spent nearly four years working as a researcher for OpenAI, died in November just three months after leaving his position. Police said his death appeared to be a suicide, and that there were no signs of foul play; this was confirmed by the San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner’s office.
Others, including Balaji’s parents, weren’t convinced. His mother, Poornima Ramarao, appeared on Carlson’s show earlier this year in an episode titled “Mother of Likely Murdered OpenAI Whistleblower Reveals All, Calls for Investigation of Sam Altman.”
Ramarao believes her son was murdered not just because his death was unexpected, but because he had been set to testify in The New York Times’ lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft on the subject of copyright infringement.
She told The San Francisco Standard in January, “It’s a $100 billion industry that’d be turned upside down by his testimony. It could be a group of people involved, a group of companies, a complete nexus.”
In his interview with Altman, Carlson mentioned Balaji’s death, saying that he “wound up murdered,” prompting Altman to correct him and say, “He committed suicide.”
“Do you think he committed suicide?” Carlson asked. Altman replied, “This was a friend of mine—not a close friend, but this is someone who worked at OpenAI for a very long time. I was really shaken by this tragedy. I spent a lot of time trying to read everything I could about what happened. It looks like a suicide to me.”
Undeterred, Carlson asked Altman why he thought it looked like a suicide, arguing that there were signs of a struggle and that there had been no indication that Balaji was suicidal, citing the same evidence as Balaji’s mother, including the lack of a suicide note.
Sam Altman on God, Elon and the mysterious death of his former employee.(0:00) Is AI Alive? Is It Lying to Us?(3:37) Does Sam Altman Believe in God?(6:37) What Is Morally Right and Wrong According to ChatGPT?(19:08) ChatGPT Users Committing Suicide(27:21) Will Altman Allow… pic.twitter.com/ZQSbSCMgCp
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) September 10, 2025
“His mother claims he was murdered on your orders,” Carlson said.
“Do you believe that?” Altman asked.
“I think that it is worth looking into,” Carlson replied. “If a guy comes out and accuses your company of committing crimes and then is found killed and there are signs of a struggle, I don’t think it’s worth dismissing it.”
Altman later said, “I feel strange and sad debating this, and having to defend myself seems totally crazy, and you are a little bit accusing me,” although Carlson insisted he was simply asking questions and sharing what Ramarao believes.
Elon Musk has also perpetuated the theory that Balaji was murdered, writing on X in response to Jason Calacanis’ post about Carlson’s interview, “He was murdered.”
He was murdered https://t.co/KDaomi5AlJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2025
Musk’s Grok is a direct competitor of Altman’s ChatGPT, and earlier this year, Musk initiated a lawsuit against Altman and OpenAI, a company he helped establish in 2015. In his lawsuit, Musk accused OpenAI of betraying the company’s founding principles to develop an open-source AI by partnering with Microsoft.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
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