Recent departures at xAI were not voluntary, says Elon Musk
What's the story
Elon Musk has responded to the recent wave of departures from his artificial intelligence company, xAI. The exits include two co-founders who left this week, taking the total number of exits to six out of the original 12. At an all-hands meeting this week, Musk said that these departures were more about fit than performance.
Growth transition
Musk explains the restructuring process
Musk emphasized that as a company grows, it must adapt its structure to be more effective. He said, "Because we've reached a certain scale, we're organizing the company to be more effective at this scale." The tech mogul further explained that some people are better suited for early stages of a company while others fit in later phases.
Restructuring
Company-wide restructuring, not voluntary exits
In a post on X, Musk clarified that the recent departures weren't voluntary but part of a company-wide restructuring. He wrote, "xAI was reorganized a few days ago to improve speed of execution." The billionaire added that as companies grow rapidly like xAI, their structure must evolve just like any living organism. This evolution process unfortunately needed parting ways with some employees.
Recruitment efforts
xAI still hiring aggressively
Despite the recent exits, Musk said that xAI is "hiring aggressively." He ended his post with an invitation for potential candidates: "Join xAI if the idea of mass drivers on the Moon appeals to you." The company still employs over 1,000 people so these departures are not expected to impact its short-term capabilities.
Company challenges
Regulatory scrutiny and planned IPO for xAI
The departures come as xAI faces regulatory scrutiny after Grok created non-consensual explicit deepfakes of women and children that were shared on X. The French authorities raided X offices as part of an investigation into it. The company is also preparing for a planned IPO later this year, after being legally acquired by SpaceX.