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- Elon Musk’s AI startup is going through a flurry of prime worker departures.
- The departures included xAI cofounders Jimmy Ba and Tony Wu, who each thanked Musk for the chance.
- Greater than half of xAI’s cofounders have left the startup since Musk based it in 2023.
xAI is going through an exodus of prime workers.
Two cofounders and at the very least seven different workers have introduced their departures from Elon Musk’s AI startup prior to now few days, with the billionaire telling xAI’s workforce in a Tuesday all-hands that the corporate was restructuring because it continues to develop.
In a put up on X, Musk wrote that xAI had been reorganized “to enhance pace of execution.”
“This sadly required parting methods with some folks,” he wrote, including that xAI was nonetheless “hiring aggressively.”
It comes after Musk introduced final week that xAI would merge together with his rocket firm, SpaceX, in a deal the billionaire stated would assist the joint entity construct a community of AI knowledge facilities in Earth’s orbit. I
Within the Tuesday all-hands, which was posted on X, Musk stated the mixed firm would purpose to construct a “self-sustaining” metropolis and a catapult, or mass driver, on the moon to launch AI knowledge middle satellites into house.
SpaceX is reportedly gearing up for a large public providing later this yr that might worth the corporate at as a lot as $1.5 trillion. That might be a significant increase for xAI, which reportedly burned by means of billions of {dollars} final yr.
The departures are the most recent turmoil to hit the startup since Musk based xAI in 2023 with the purpose of taking up Google and OpenAI.
Since then, round half of the corporate’s cofounders have left, and xAI has confronted international backlash over sexual photos of actual folks generated on X by Grok, the startup’s AI chatbot.
Here is everybody who has left xAI within the firm’s most up-to-date exodus. Enterprise Insider has contacted every of the next workers for remark.
Tony Wu
xAI cofounder Tony Wu introduced his resignation from the corporate on Tuesday. In a put up on X, the previous Google researcher stated it was time for his “subsequent chapter” and thanked Musk for “the journey of a lifetime.”
Enterprise Insider’s Grace Kay beforehand reported that Wu started reporting on to Musk final yr and led xAI’s reasoning efforts.
Jimmy Ba
Jimmy Ba grew to become the second xAI cofounder to announce his departure from the corporate in lower than 48 hours on Tuesday.
The chief, who beforehand oversaw the startup’s AI tutoring efforts, additionally thanked Musk for the chance and stated he was pleased with what xAI had completed in a put up on X.
Ba’s departure implies that six out of the 11 cofounders who launched xAI with Musk in 2023 have now left the corporate.
Cling Gao
Cling Gao, a member of technical workers, additionally introduced in an X put up on Tuesday that he had left xAI.
The Berkeley alumnus, who labored on xAI’s Grok Think about AI video generator, described his time on the firm as “distinctive and memorable.”
Vahid Kazemi
Vahid Kazemi, a member of xAI’s technical workers, stated on X on February 11 that he had left the corporate just a few weeks prior. “That was quick! IMO, all AI labs are constructing the very same factor, and it is boring. I feel there’s room for extra creativity,” he wrote, including that he was beginning “one thing new.”
Kazemi joined xAI final yr and, earlier than that, labored at OpenAI. He additionally beforehand labored at Google and Apple.
Ayush Jaiswal
Ayush Jaiswal labored on Grok at xAI and introduced on February 6 that it was his final week on the firm. “Might be taking just a few months to spend time with household & tinker with AI,” he wrote in a put up on X. Jaiswal joined xAI in September 2025, in line with his LinkedIn profile. Earlier than that, he was head of progress at Scale AI.
Shayan Salehian
Shayan Salehian stated on February 7 that he was leaving after a seven-year stint throughout Twitter and X to construct one thing new.
He labored on the X timeline in addition to numerous Grok fashions, he stated in a put up on X. He added that he’s leaving to work on one thing “targeted on accelerating science.”
“Working carefully with Elon throughout X and xAI, I noticed what occurs once you refuse to simply accept not possible as a solution,” he wrote on X.
Simon Zhai
Simon Zhai, a member of the xAI technical workers, joined the corporate in October 2025 and introduced his departure on February 9.
“Right now is my final day at xAI, feeling very lucky in regards to the alternative. It has been an incredible journey,” he wrote in a quick departure put up on X. Earlier than xAI, Zhai was a analysis scientist at Google DeepMind.
Andrew Ma
Member of technical workers Andrew Ma wrote in an X put up on Wednesday that he had left xAI this week.
Ma labored on X’s advice system and was “solely accountable” for writing a brand new model of the platform’s person search algorithm, in line with his LinkedIn.
The previous Twitter engineer praised xAI’s “wartime mentality” and thanked Musk for “creating this org that the world wants.”
Radhakrishnan Venkataramani
Radhakrishnan Venkataramani wrote in an X put up on Thursday that he had left xAI this week.
The previous Google and Fb engineer joined xAI final July, per his LinkedIn, and labored on reasoning and reinforcement studying techniques for Grok, in addition to the corporate’s coding mannequin.
In his farewell put up, Venkataramani stated he was “grateful” to have been a part of xAI, calling the corporate “essentially the most hardcore group ever.”
