Only 1 of xAI's 11 Founding Members Remains; Musk Takes Direct Control Ahead of IPO

Elon Musk's xAI faces another personnel shakeup: co-founder Manuel Kroiss is set to leave. Now, only one of the original 11 co-founders remains—Ross Nordeen from Tesla, who reports directly to Musk.

Since January 2026, core members like Tony Wu and Jimmy Ba have left one after another. Musk admitted xAI lags behind peers in code generation, and is re-evaluating previously rejected candidates to fill talent gaps. He's also restructuring the team: taking direct control of dozens of employees, bringing in staff from Tesla and SpaceX, and laying off some current employees.

This change comes at a critical capital juncture: after SpaceX merges and acquires xAI, the company's valuation is expected to reach $1.5 trillion as it prepares for an IPO.