Report says over 50 employees have left SpaceXAI since February

In short: A report says Elon Musk’s newly merged SpaceXAI has lost more than 50 researchers and engineers since February.

What's going on

SpaceX acquired xAI in February, according to TechCrunch, and the combined company was later renamed SpaceXAI. Since that merger, more than 50 employees have reportedly left, based on a report from The Information that TechCrunch summarized. The departures include people working on key parts of the company’s work, including coding tools, “world models” (AI systems that try to predict how a situation will play out, like a video game engine that learns the rules), and Grok voice.

Rival companies are reportedly hiring some of the former SpaceXAI staff. The Information said at least 11 people moved to Meta, and at least seven joined Thinking Machine Labs, a startup linked to AI leader Mira Murati. The report also said SpaceXAI’s core “pre-training” group has shrunk to a handful of people.

Pre-training is the first major step in building a new AI model. It is like giving a student a huge general education before any job training. People close to the company reportedly worry these exits could affect whether SpaceXAI can keep building top-level AI systems.

The Information also cited concerns about intense work expectations and tight deadlines. A source told The Information that unrealistic timelines led to cutting corners on Grok.

What to watch

Some employees may also be leaving for financial reasons. The story notes that SpaceX offers “tenders,” which let employees sell some shares before a public stock listing. If more people can cash out soon, the pressure to stay might be weaker. TechCrunch said it reached out to SpaceX for comment.

Source: TechCrunch AI