SpaceXAI merger aftermath: over 50 researchers and engineers quit, sparking fears of burnout and culture collapse

At least 11 xAI staff reportedly defected to Meta

SpaceXAI, Elon Musk’s newly rebranded merger of SpaceX and xAI, is reportedly losing significant talent. The Information says more than 50 researchers and engineers have left since February, including leaders tied to coding, world models, and Grok voice. Rivals such as Meta and Thinking Machine Labs are reportedly hiring away former staff, while SpaceXAI’s core pre-training team has dwindled to only a few people. The report cites burnout, leadership changes, aggressive deadlines, and possible retention issues tied to equity timing.