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Tony Wu quits xAI, becomes fifth co-founder to leave Elon Musk-led company: ‘Time for my next chapter’
Tony Wu previously worked at Google and was among the 12 co-founders, including Elon Musk, who launched xAI in 2023.
Tony Wu, who co-founded Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI in 2023, has resigned from the company, becoming the latest founding member to leave the firm less than 3 years after its launch.
Announcing his departure on X on Tuesday, Wu wrote, “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.”
Wu added, “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.” However, he did not disclose his next move.
Wu also thanked the xAI family and CEO Elon Musk for his support, writing, “Thank you to the entire xAI family. Onward. And to Elon @elonmusk - thank you for believing in the mission and for the ride of a lifetime.”
According to Wu’s LinkedIn profile, he previously worked at Google and was among the 12 co-founders, including Musk, who launched xAI in 2023. His exit marks at least the fifth founding member departure from the company.
Over the past year, co-founders Christian Szegedy, Igor Babuschkin and Greg Yang have stepped away from the company, while Kyle Kosic left in 2024. Yang had said last month that he would step back from his role after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.
(Also Read: Who is Raj Jegannathan? Indian-origin Tesla VP who reported to Elon Musk quits after 13 years)
How did social media react?
xAI employee Ze Liu wrote, “Best wishes, Tony! Forever grateful for those early battles we fought together.”
Another staffer wrote, “Thanks for your leadership and inspiration, Tony! It’s been an unforgettable experience working with you here at xAI. Best of luck on your next chapter!”
“was an honor to work with you Tony! thx for all the warrooms!” commented another.
“One of the most cherished privileges of my life was being able to work with you closely for so long! I am looking forward to seeing what's next!” wrote CxAI research scientist Christian Szegedy.
(Also Read: Elon Musk is betting his business empire on AI)
SpaceX and xAI merger
Notably, as per a report by Bloomberg, Wu’s departure comes amid major corporate developments for xAI. The company recently merged with SpaceX in a deal that valued the combined entity at $1.25 trillion. The merger is expected to help ease funding pressures as xAI raises large amounts of capital while spending heavily on data centres, chips and talent to expand its AI capabilities.
While announcing the merger, Musk declared that the new company would “extend the light of consciousness to the stars”.
