WorkMay 14, 2026via The Information
The SpaceXAI Exodus: More Than 50 Recent Exits as Meta, Thinking Machines Hire Staff
Why it matters
A mass exodus from xAI post-acquisition signals internal instability at Musk's AI flagship and represents a talent redistribution to competitors building reasoning and multimodal models. The departure of co-founders besides Musk raises questions about the lab's strategic direction and leadership.
Key signals
- 50+ researchers and engineers departed xAI since February 2026 acquisition by SpaceX
- Departures include layoffs, firings, and voluntary exits
- All xAI co-founders except Elon Musk have left
- Meta and Thinking Machines are actively recruiting departing xAI staff
- Grok model development team affected
The hook
50+ researchers and engineers. That's what SpaceX lost from xAI's Grok team since February—and Meta and Thinking Machines are hiring them up.
Call it the SpaceXAI exodus.
More than 50 researchers and engineers working on xAI’s Grok models have left the AI lab since SpaceX acquired it in February, through layoffs, firings and voluntary departures, according to several people with knowledge of the moves. These departures come on top of the …