Yet another co-founder departs Elon Musk’s xAI (arstechnica.com)

Tony Wu, co-founder of xAI, has announced his resignation, marking yet another significant exit from the company following a series of high-profile departures. In his farewell message, Wu expressed gratitude for his time at xAI but emphasized a desire for new opportunities in an era where small teams equipped with AI technologies can achieve remarkable feats. This suggests a potential shift in focus away from the larger organizational structure that xAI has maintained, which has seen fluctuating staff levels, particularly with a notable reduction of AI tutors. Wu's departure is part of a troubling trend for xAI, as it has recently lost other key co-founders, including Igor Babuschkin and Greg Yang. The company, founded in 2023 by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, has faced challenges with its large workforce, which was reported to be around 1,200 employees in early March. The exits of these senior leaders, combined with significant layoffs, indicate potential instability and a retraction from ambitious projects. For the AI and machine learning community, this situation raises questions about the future direction of xAI and the sustainability of its original vision amid leadership changes and staffing uncertainties.