Elon Musk Suggests Recent xAI Departures Were Organizational Decisions, Not Voluntary Exits

Elon Musk is responding to a growing number of departures at xAI, including two additional co-founders who left this week. With those exits, six of the company's original 12 co-founders have now stepped away.

Speaking at a company-wide meeting Tuesday evening, Musk indicated the changes were tied to organizational evolution rather than employee performance. According to reporting by The New York Times, he told staff: "Because we've reached a certain scale, we're organizing the company to be more effective at this scale. And actually, when this happens, there's some people who are better suited for the early stages of a company and less suited for the later stages."

On Wednesday afternoon, Musk expanded on that message in a post on X, stating more directly that the exits were not voluntary. "xAI was reorganized a few days ago to improve speed of execution," he wrote. "As a company grows, especially as quickly as xAI, the structure must evolve just like any living organism. This unfortunately required parting ways with some people."

xAI was reorganized a few days ago to improve speed of execution. As a company grows, especially as quickly as xAI, the structure must evolve just like any living organism.

This unfortunately required parting ways with some people. We wish them well in future endeavors.

We are… https://t.co/kfmSmBlieb — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 11, 2026

He also emphasized that the company continues to expand, noting that xAI is "hiring aggressively." He added a characteristically ambitious recruitment pitch: "Join xAI if the idea of mass drivers on the Moon appeals to you."

The departure of half of the startup's co-founders in a relatively short period has drawn attention, and Musk's comments appear aimed at shaping how the situation is perceived — framing the exits as a strategic restructuring rather than evidence of internal trouble.

Altogether, at least nine engineers — including two co-founders — have publicly confirmed their departures from xAI over the past week. Two of those exits appear to have taken place several weeks earlier but were only recently disclosed.

Three of the departing engineers have said they plan to launch a new venture with other former xAI colleagues, although no details about the project have been made public. Others have hinted at seeking greater independence and smaller teams to build frontier AI technologies more quickly, pointing to expectations of rapid productivity gains in the field.

Yuhuai (Tony) Wu, an xAI co-founder and reasoning lead, wrote in a post announcing his resignation: "It's time for my next chapter. It is an era with full possibilities: a small team armed with AIs can move mountains and redefine what's possible."

I resigned from xAI today.

This company - and the family we became - will stay with me forever. I will deeply miss the people, the warrooms, and all those battles we have fought together.

It's time for my next chapter. It is an era with full possibilities: a small team armed… — Yuhuai (Tony) Wu (@Yuhu_ai_) February 10, 2026

Shayan Salehian, who worked on product infrastructure and model behaviour post-training at xAI and previously spent years at Twitter/X, said last week that he was leaving to "start something new."

Career update: I left xAI to start something new, closing my 7+ year chapter working at Twitter, X, and xAI with so much gratitude.

xAI is truly an extraordinary place. The team is incredibly hardcore and talented, shipping at a pace that shouldn’t be possible. From the Home… pic.twitter.com/HKWOebg9QI — Shayan (@shayan_) February 7, 2026

Vahid Kazemi, who had a short tenure working on machine learning at xAI, posted Tuesday that he had departed a few weeks earlier, adding: "IMO, all AI labs are building the same thing, and it's boring … So, I'm starting something new."

Roland Gavrilescu, a former xAI engineer who left in November to launch Nuraline — a company developing "forward-deployed AI agents" — wrote Tuesdayagain  that he had left the firm to build "something new with others that left xAI."

These departures come at a sensitive time for xAI. The company is facing regulatory scrutiny after its Grok chatbot generated nonconsensual explicit deepfakes involving women and children that were circulated on X. French authorities conducted a raid on X's offices last week as part of an ongoing investigation.

At the same time, xAI is preparing for an initial public offering later this year, following its acquisition by SpaceX last week.

Musk himself is also facing personal controversy. Documents released by the U.S. Justice Department detail extended communications between Musk and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including discussions about visiting Epstein's private island in 2012 and 2013. Epstein was first convicted in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution.

Despite the recent exits, xAI employs more than 1,000 people, meaning the company's near-term capabilities are unlikely to be materially affected. Still, the rapid pace of departures has gained traction online. Some users on X have jokingly posted that they are "leaving xAI" despite never having worked there — a sign of how quickly the narrative of a "mass exodus" has spread across Musk's social network.

However, co-founder departures that are described as involuntary rarely signal entirely smooth scaling. While Musk portrays the reorganization as deliberate and necessary, the fact that several engineers left alongside the co-founders — and that at least three are launching a new venture together — suggests the exits may also reflect deeper internal dynamics.

In the highly competitive frontier AI sector, where talent is scarce and reputation carries significant weight, xAI's ability to attract and retain leading researchers will remain under scrutiny as it competes with other major AI labs.

Timeline of Public Departure Announcements

The following employees have publicly shared news of their departures from xAI in recent days:

February 6: Ayush Jaiswal, engineer, wrote: "T" was my last week at xAI. Will be taking a few months to spend time with family & tinker with AI."

"ebruary 7: Shayan Salehian, who worked on product infrastructure and model behaviour post-training and previously at X, wrote: "I left xAI to start something new, closing my 7+ year chapter working at Twitter, X, and xAI with so much gratitude." "e added that working closely with Musk taught him "obsessive attention to detail, maniacal urgency, and to think from first principles."

February 9: Simon Zhai, a member of the technical staff, wrote: "T" Today's my last day at xAI, and I'm feeling fortunate for the opportunity. It has been an amazing journey."

"February 9: Yuhuai (Tony) Wu, co-founder and reasoning lead, wrote: "I resigned from xAI toTodayItIt's time for my next chapter. Today is an era with full possibilities: a small team armed with AIs can move mountains and redefine whwhat'sossible."

February 10: Jimmy Ba, co-founder and research/safety lead, wrote: "L" st day at xAI. We are heading toward a 100x productivity age with the right tools. Recursive self-improvement loops are likely to go live within the next 12 months. ItIt'sime to recalibrate my gradient on the big picture. 2026 is gonna be insane and likely the busiest (and most consequential) year for the future of our species."

"February 10: Vahid Kazemi, machine learning PhD, wrote that he had left xAI "a "few weeks ago," "ding: "I "O  all AI labs are building the same thing, and itit'soring. I think ththere'soom for more creativity. So, I'I'mtarting something new."

February 10: Hang Gao, who worked on multimodal initiatives including Grok Imagine, wrote: "I left xAI today." "He described his time there as "truly rewarding," highlighting his contributions and praising the team's craftsmanship and ambition.

February 10: Roland Gavrilescu posted: "I left xAI. Building something new with others that left xAI. WeWe'reiring :)”

"ebruary 10: Chace Lee, part of the Macrohard founding team — an AI-focused software initiative under xAI aimed at automating software development and operations — wrote: "T" king a brief reset, then back to the frontier."