'Elon Musk's leadership style triggers mass exodus from Tesla, xAI'
Elon Musk's intense leadership style and public controversies are causing a wave of high-profile exits from Tesla and xAI in 2025.
Big names like Linda Yaccarino, who stepped down as X (formerly Twitter) CEO in July after being sidelined, and Mike Liberatore, ex-CFO of xAI who left for OpenAI claiming he'd been working more than 120 hours per week, are among those moving on.
Igor Babuschkin also left to start his own venture capital firm.
Musk's recent layoff of 500 xAI employees adds to instability
Musk recently laid off 500 xAI employees, adding to the sense of instability.
In response to so many people leaving for rivals like OpenAI, he's even filed a lawsuit over alleged employee poaching.
All these departures are hitting morale hard and raising questions about where Tesla and xAI are headed next—especially as Musk shifts focus from green tech to AI.