xAI co-founder Tony Wu abruptly announced his resignation from the company late Monday night, the latest in a string of senior executives to leave the Grok-maker in recent months.
In a post on social media, Wu expressed warm feelings for his time at xAI, but said it was “time for my next chapter.” The current era is one where “a small team armed with AIs can move mountains and redefine what’s possible,” he wrote.
The mention of what “a small team” can do could hint at a potential reason for Wu’s departure. xAI reportedly had 1,200 employees as of March 2025, a number that included AI engineers and those focused more on the X social network. That number also included 900 employees that served solely as “AI tutors,” though roughly 500 of those were reportedly laid off in September.