Elon Musk’s Last Remaining Co‑Founders Depart xAI
Key Points
- All eleven original co‑founders of Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI have now left the company.
- The final two remaining co‑founders, Manuel Kroiss and Ross Nordeen, announced their departures in quick succession.
- Kroiss led xAI’s pre‑training team; Nordeen served as Musk’s right‑hand operator and previously worked at Tesla.
- Musk said xAI “was not built right the first time around” and is being rebuilt from the ground up.
- xAI was recently acquired by SpaceX, joining SpaceX and X under a single corporate umbrella as SpaceX plans a possible IPO.
- Nordeen was involved in planning major layoffs at Twitter after Musk’s 2022 acquisition of that platform.
- TechCrunch has sought comment from xAI but has not received a response.
All of Elon Musk’s original co‑founders at his artificial‑intelligence startup xAI have now left the company. Business Insider reports that the final two members of the founding team, Manuel Kroiss and Ross Nordeen, have each announced their departures. Musk has said the venture was “not built right the first time around” and is being rebuilt from the ground up. The exits come shortly after xAI was absorbed into Musk’s SpaceX corporate umbrella, which also includes X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, as SpaceX prepares for a possible public offering.
Complete Turnover of xAI’s Founding Team
Elon Musk’s artificial‑intelligence venture xAI, which originally launched with a team of eleven co‑founders, has experienced a full turnover of its founding leadership. Earlier this month, reports indicated that all but two of the original co‑founders had already left the company. Business Insider now confirms that the remaining two – Manuel Kroiss and Ross Nordeen – have also exited, marking the departure of every original member of the founding group.
Manuel Kroiss, who led the company’s pre‑training team, informed colleagues that he would be leaving xAI. Shortly thereafter, Business Insider reported that Ross Nordeen, described as Musk’s “right‑hand operator,” also left the organization on a Friday. Both men reported directly to Musk during their tenure at the startup.
Musk’s Assessment and Rebuilding Plans
In response to the leadership changes, Musk publicly stated that xAI “was not built right the first time around.” He indicated that the company is now being reconstructed “from the foundations up,” suggesting a comprehensive overhaul of its structure and strategy.
Corporate Integration Under SpaceX
The leadership exits occur in the context of a recent corporate acquisition. xAI was acquired by Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX, bringing the AI startup together with SpaceX and X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – under a single corporate umbrella. Sources note that SpaceX is reportedly planning to go public, which adds a broader financial dimension to the integration of these entities.
Background of the Departing Co‑Founders
Ross Nordeen joined xAI after a stint at Tesla and was previously involved in planning major layoffs at Twitter following Musk’s acquisition of that platform in 2022. His role at xAI positioned him as a key operational partner for Musk. Manuel Kroiss, meanwhile, oversaw the pre‑training efforts that are central to the development of large‑scale AI models, a core component of xAI’s technology roadmap.
Industry Reaction and Next Steps
TechCrunch reached out to xAI for comment on the departures, but no response was reported at the time of writing. The complete exit of the founding team raises questions about the future direction of xAI, especially as Musk emphasizes a foundational rebuild and as the company becomes more tightly integrated with SpaceX and X.
While the departures signal a significant shift in leadership, Musk’s commitment to re‑engineer xAI suggests that the venture will continue to pursue its AI ambitions, albeit under a new organizational structure and possibly new leadership that has yet to be identified.