In early February 2026, xAI, an artificial intelligence startup co-founded by researchers from the University of Toronto, witnessed the departure of two of its co-founders, Jimmy Ba and Tony Wu. This departure marks the fifth and sixth exits from the company since its foundation in 2023, indicating a significant reshaping of the company’s leadership. The timing of their exits coincided with SpaceX's recent acquisition of xAI for an impressive $250 billion, elevating SpaceX’s status as the largest private company in the world. The acquisition, considered momentous within the tech industry, raises questions about the direction and future of xAI under SpaceX’s ownership. Earlier co-founders had also left, including Kyle Kosic, Igor Babuschkin, Christian Szegedy, and most recently, Greg Yang due to health issues. With these departures, only half of the original co-founders remain, leading to speculation about the company’s future strategies and research direction. Furthermore, xAI, which operates the chatbot Grok, has come under scrutiny for generating inappropriate content, prompting investigations in both the UK and the European Union, further complicating the company’s challenges in this new landscape.