Half of Elon Musk's xAI Co-Founders Have Now Left, Two Within Days

Elon Musk's xAI lost two co-founders in a single week — Yuhuai (Tony) Wu and Jimmy Ba — and now only six of the original twelve founders remain at the company. Wu announced his departure on Tuesday and Ba on Wednesday. Both exits came amid a broader wave of departures among xAI's rank-and-file staff, some of whom announced plans to launch their own AI startups.

Who left and what they said

Announcing his departure on Tuesday, Yuhuai (Tony) Wu wrote that "it's time for my next chapter." The next day, Wednesday, Jimmy Ba published a similar post, saying it was time "to recalibrate my gradient on the big picture." Both co-founded xAI, the startup Elon Musk launched last year to compete with OpenAI and other AI market leaders. Their exits cut the number of founders still at the company from twelve to six, meaning xAI lost exactly half of its original founding team within days. According to The Verge, the departures didn't stop at the top: several rank-and-file employees also announced on X that they were leaving, and some said they plan to start their own AI companies.

Why it matters for xAI and Grok

xAI originally assembled a team of specialists with experience at leading tech companies and academic institutions, with the stated goal of accelerating AI development and making it more accessible. Losing so many co-founders and experienced staff this early creates a risk of delays for Grok, the flagship model the company is counting on to compete with OpenAI. The farewell language — "next chapter," "recalibrating my gradient" — sounds neutral, but phrases like these usually mask deeper reasons: disagreements over the company's direction, resource allocation, or corporate culture. Losing a large share of its founders raises questions about the long-term stability of xAI's culture and could make it harder to attract qualified talent in the future.

What it means for the AI market

xAI has positioned itself as a serious contender against OpenAI and other industry leaders. An internal crisis that has cost the company half its founders threatens to stall the momentum it has built. There's an added risk in the employees who left xAI with their own startup ideas: they could become new competitors, drawing on the experience and work they gained at Elon Musk's company. For xAI's investors and partners, this adds uncertainty about whether the company can maintain its development pace and team stability amid fierce competition in the AI market.

How many co-founders are left at xAI?

Six of xAI's original twelve co-founders remain at the company — exactly half. That's the result of co-founders Yuhuai (Tony) Wu (on Tuesday) and Jimmy Ba (on Wednesday) announcing their departures this week.

Which xAI co-founders left and what did they say?

Yuhuai (Tony) Wu and Jimmy Ba left. Wu wrote that "it's time for my next chapter," and Ba wrote that it was time "to recalibrate my gradient on the big picture." Both posted their messages on X.

Was the exodus limited to co-founders?

No. According to The Verge, in addition to the two co-founders, several rank-and-file employees also left xAI and announced it on X; some of them said they plan to found their own AI startups.