Elon Musk suggests spate of xAI exits have been push, not pull
February 18, 2026
•TechCrunch_AI•Moderate impact[key points]
Key points
- •Elon Musk addresses departures from xAI, suggesting they were due to company reorganization and fit rather than performance issues.
- •At least 11 engineers, including co-founders, have left xAI recently, with some starting new ventures focused on AI development.
- •xAI faces regulatory scrutiny and is moving towards a planned IPO, while Musk faces personal controversy.
- •Departing employees hint at a desire for more autonomy and smaller teams to build frontier tech more rapidly.
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