Who is Devendra Chaplot? Elon Musk reacts to IIT Bombay alum joining xAI to develop superintelligence

Devendra Chaplot joined xAI, with Elon Musk welcoming him after his announcement on X.

Indian artificial intelligence researcher Devendra Chaplot has joined Elon Musk’s AI venture xAI, which is now working in close collaboration with SpaceX. Chaplot announced the move on X, sharing a photograph with Musk and outlining his vision for the next phase of his career. Musk quickly acknowledged the announcement, amplifying the post and welcoming him to the team.

Indian AI researcher Devendra Chaplot joined Elon Musk’s xAI, announcing the move on X. (X/@dchaplot)

In his post, Chaplot wrote, "I'm joining SpaceX and xAI, working closely with Elon and team to build superintelligence. Together SpaceX and xAI combine physical and digital intelligence under a leader who understands hardware at the deepest level. Add a high-agency culture with frontier-scale resources, and you get the possibility to achieve something truly unique. I’m excited to advance the fields I’ve obsessed over for years, from robotics research to building AI models on the founding teams of Mistral and TML. Both were extraordinary journeys with extraordinary people that shaped how I think about building intelligence from the ground up. Grateful for everything that brought me here and can’t wait to get started."

Responding to the post, Musk wrote, “Welcome to @xAI!”

Take a look here at the post:

A seasoned name in AI research

Chaplot brings with him significant experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning. According to details available on his website, he was previously part of the founding team at Thinking Machines Lab, where he worked across research and product development. His contributions included building Tinker, a training API designed to enable users to train large language models more efficiently.

He has also been associated with Facebook’s AI research division, joining the team as early as 2018. Prior to entering the AI industry, Chaplot worked as a research associate at Samsung, gaining early exposure to applied technology and innovation.

Strong academic background

Chaplot’s academic credentials reflect a strong foundation in computer science and artificial intelligence. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and later pursued higher studies at Carnegie Mellon University. There, he completed both his Master’s in Language Technology and a PhD in Machine Learning.