xAI Co-Founder Igor Babuschkin Departs to Launch AI Safety Venture

Co-founder of Elon Musk's xAI departs the company | TechCrunch

Igor Babuschkin, a co-founder of Elon Musk's xAI startup, announced his departure from the company on Wednesday in a post on X. Babuschkin led engineering teams at xAI and helped build the startup into one of Silicon Valley's leading AI model developers just a few years after it was founded. "Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023," Babuschkin wrote in the post. "I still remember the day I first met Elon, we talked for hours about AI and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new AI company with a different kind of mission was needed." Babuschkin is leaving xAI to launch his own venture capital firm, Babuschkin Ventures, which he says will support AI safety research and back startups that "advance humanity and unlock the mysteries of our universe." The xAI co-founder says he was inspired to start the firm after a dinner with Max Tegmark, the founder of the Future of Life Institute, in which they discussed how AI systems could be built safely to encourage the flourishing of future generations. Babuschkin's departure comes after a tumultuous few months for xAI, in which the company became engrossed in severals scandals related to its AI chatbot Grok. For instance, Grok was found to cite Musk's personal opinions when trying to answer controversial questions. In another case, xAI's chatbot went on antisemitic rants and called itself "Mechahitler." Most recently, xAI unveiled a new feature in Grok that allowed users to make AI-generated videos resembling nude public figures, such as Taylor Swift. These scandals have at times overshadowed the performance of xAI's models, which are state-of-the-art on several benchmarks compared to AI models from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic.

Elon Musk's xAI loses co-founder Igor Babuschkin, who's leaving to start venture firm

Igor Babuschkin, co-founder of xAI, during the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in San Jose, California, US, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Igor Babuschkin, a founding member of Elon Musk's xAI, said Wednesday that he's leaving the artificial intelligence startup to launch his own venture firm. "Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023," Babuschkin wrote on X, which is owned by xAI. "I still remember the day I first met Elon, we talked for hours about AI and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new AI company with a different kind of mission was needed. Building AI that advances humanity has been my lifelong dream." A former research engineer for Google's DeepMind and ex-member of OpenAI's technical staff, Babuschkin recounted some of xAI's major operational achievements during his tenure, including building out engineering teams at the company. "Through blood sweat and tears, our team's blistering velocity built the Memphis supercluster, and shipped frontier models faster than any company in history," he wrote. The facility in Memphis processes data and trains the models that power xAI's Grok chatbot. Musk wrote, in response, "Thanks for helping build @xAI! We wouldn't be here without you." Babuschkin said he's starting Babuschkin Ventures to support AI safety research and invest in startups in "AI and agentic systems that advance humanity and unlock the mysteries of our universe."

Igor Babuschkin Departs xAI to Start AI Safety Venture

Babuschkin said the decision to start the venture was influenced by his belief that AI could help answer some of science's most complex questions. Igor Babuschkin, co-founder of xAI, announced his exit from the company he helped start with Elon Musk in 2023. He is set to launch a new initiative, Babuschkin Ventures, to support AI safety research and startups. "I want to continue on my mission to bring about AI that's safe and beneficial to humanity," Babuschkin wrote on X. He said the decision to start the venture was influenced by his belief that AI could help answer some of science's most complex questions, from quantum gravity to the Riemann hypothesis. Babuschkin also expressed concern about ensuring that advanced AI is used responsibly. He shared that Max Tegmark, founder of the Future of Life Institute, once asked him how one can build AI safely to ensure that children can flourish, which he said motivated him to start his new venture. "I was deeply moved by his question," Babuschkin recalled. At xAI, Babuschkin oversaw engineering across Infrastructure, Product and Applied AI, and was involved in building the Memphis supercluster. He recounted working with Musk and the infrastructure team to fix a critical issue just before a training deadline. "Elon decided to fly to the datacenter... we finally identified a wrong BIOS setting, the root of the problem," Babuschkin wrote on the social platform. He mentioned that his experience at xAI imparted two important lessons from Musk: to be fearless in actively engaging with technical issues and to possess an intense sense of urgency. Babuschkin Ventures will back research and startups in AI and agentic systems that, according to him, will advance humanity and unlock the mysteries of our universe.

xAI co-founder Igor Babuschkin is leaving the company to focus on AI safety - SiliconANGLE

xAI co-founder Igor Babuschkin is leaving the company to focus on AI safety Igor Babuschkin, a founding member of Elon Musk's xAI, today announced that he is departing the company to focus on artificial intelligence that is "safe and beneficial to humanity." "Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023," Babuschkin wrote on X. "I still remember the day I first met Elon, we talked for hours about AI and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new AI company with a different kind of mission was needed." "Thanks for helping build @xAI!," Musk responded. "We wouldn't be here without you." Babuschkin, a former research engineer for Google LLC's DeepMind and once a member of OpenAI's technical staff, will launch his own venture capital firm, Babuschkin Ventures. He says it will support AI safety and invest in startups that will build "AI and agentic systems that advance humanity and unlock the mysteries of our universe." His former workplace has certainly been in the wars of late. xAI's Grok chatbot, which Musk has promoted as an anti-woke AI assistant, started to misfire in May when it seemingly became obsessed with what it called white genocide in South Africa. In July, it went a step further when its responses to users were steeped in Nazi ideology and other extremist rhetoric, after which X Corp.'s Chief Executive, Linda Yaccarino, left the firm - although without mentioning scandals. Babuschkin only had good things to say about his former employer, writing that after growing up in the U.S. with his Russian immigrant parents, "building AI that advances humanity" became his "lifelong dream." "How could we ensure that this technology is used for good?" he wrote on X. "Elon had warned of the dangers of powerful AI for years. Elon and I realized that we had a shared vision of AI used to benefit humanity, thus we recruited more like-minded engineers and set off to build xAI." Babuschkin said his decision to leave xAI came after he had dinner with Max Tegmark, the founder of the Future of Life Institute, when the two talked about building AI systems that were safe while ensuring the children using them would flourish. "The singularity is near, but humanity's future is bright!" he said.

Elon Musk's xAI Loses Co-Founder Igor Babushkin

Igor Babushkin lauded Musk's leadership and xAI's success as he announced his departure from the company. Elon Musk's xAI is losing one of its founding members. Igor Babushkin, a co-founder of the developer behind Grok, announced yesterday (Aug. 13) that he is departing the company to start his own venture capital firm focused on A.I. startups. "Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023," said Babuschkin in a post on X. "I still remember the day I first met Elon, we talked for hours about A.I. and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new A.I. company with a different kind of mission was needed." Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter Sign Up Thank you for signing up! By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime. See all of our newsletters Musk responded to Babushkin by thanking him for his efforts and stating that xAI "wouldn't be here without you." The billionaire launched the startup two years ago with a mission to prioritize accuracy, safety and the advancement of human capabilities. xAI's flagship product is Grok, an A.I. chatbot that competes with other leading models across multiple industry benchmarks. // Babushkin, who led engineering teams at xAI, joined the company in May 2023 after previous roles at Google DeepMind and OpenAI. Trained as a physicist at CERN in Switzerland and TU Dortmund in Germany, he later developed an interest in advanced A.I. and connected with Musk over what he described as "a shared vision of A.I. used to benefit humanity." The company's early days were challenging, Babushkin admitted. "Naysayers told us we'd arrived too late, that building a top A.I. company from scratch would be impossible," he wrote in a post on X. He recounted how his team built xAI's massive Memphis supercluster in just 120 days "through blood, sweat and tears." The Memphis training cluster, despite its scale, has drawn local criticism for relying on emission-heavy gas turbines. Grok itself has also faced controversy, with reports of the chatbot making antisemitic remarks and echoing Musk's personal views in responses. Over the years, Babushkin said, he learned two key lessons from Musk: to "be fearless in rolling up your sleeves to personally dig into the technical problems," and to "have a maniacal sense of urgency." His next move is to launch Babushkin Ventures, a firm that will invest in startups and agentic systems "that advance humanity and unlock the mysteries of our universe" -- a mission that closely mirrors xAI's stated goal to "understand the true nature of the universe." A.I. safety will be a central focus for the firm, Babushkin added. "As frontier models become more agentic over long horizons and a wider range of tasks, they will take on more and more powerful capabilities, which will make it critical to study and advance A.I. safety," he said. "I want to continue on my mission to bring about A.I. that's safe and beneficial to humanity." Babushkin is one of the few original members to leave xAI since Musk founded it with a 12-person team drawn largely from OpenAI and Google DeepMind. Other departures include researchers Kyle Kosic and Christian Szegedy, who left last year for roles at OpenAI and Morph Labs, respectively, while most co-founders have remained.

xAI cofounder Igor Babuschkin departs to launch AI safety investment firm - The Economic Times

Igor Babuschkin, a cofounder of Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI, said on Wednesday that he has left the company and plans to launch an investment firm focused on AI safety research. Musk launched xAI in 2023 to challenge Big Tech's AI push, accusing industry leaders of excessive censorship and lax safety standards. "Today was my last day at xAI," Babuschkin said in a post on X, adding that his new venture, Babuschkin Ventures, will back AI safety research and startups developing the technology. Babuschkin, who previously worked at Google's DeepMind and OpenAI, described xAI's early scramble to build infrastructure and models, saying he created "many of the foundational tools" for launching and managing training jobs before later overseeing engineering across infrastructure, product and applied AI projects. His departure follows that of xAI's legal head, Robert Keele, earlier this month, and comes amid intensifying competition among AI players such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, which are pouring resources into training and deploying advanced systems. Last month, Musk-owned X's CEO Linda Yaccarino also resigned, just months after the platform was folded into xAI. Musk is separately contending with executive departures at Tesla.

Elon Musk's xAI Co-Founder Igor Babuschkin Resigns, Launches New AI Safety Venture After Building Memphis Supercluster In 120 Days

Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter Igor Babuschkin, co-founder of Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, announced on X his resignation from the startup he helped launch in 2023, saying he would shift his focus to a new venture centered on AI safety. He also announced the launch of Babuschkin Ventures, an investment firm aimed at funding research in AI safety and backing companies developing agentic systems designed to advance humanity and explore unanswered scientific questions. "The singularity is near, but humanity's future is bright," Babuschkin wrote, inviting entrepreneurs aligned with this mission to contact him via email. Don't Miss: The same firms that backed Uber, Venmo and eBay are investing in this pre-IPO company disrupting a $1.8T market -- and you can too at just $2.90/share. 2,000 High Earners Manage $6B With This AI Platform -- Learn More From Soviet Roots to CERN and Elon Musk In the post, Babuschkin said his lifelong dream of advancing humanity through technology was shaped by his parents' decision to emigrate from the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union in search of a better future for their children. He said he studied particle physics as a Ph.D. student at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, but began to question whether superintelligence, rather than larger colliders, could solve fundamental scientific mysteries such as developing a theory of quantum gravity or proving the Riemann hypothesis. In early 2023, a meeting with Musk led to long discussions about AI's potential and risks, resulting in the founding of xAI with the mission to develop AI that benefits humanity. Babuschkin said in the post that the early days were challenging, as building a top AI company from scratch required significant hands-on engineering work. Trending: Shaquille O'Neal Wants People to Take Heart Health Seriously -- This AI-ECG Could Make That Easier Breaking Records with the Memphis Supercluster One of xAI's most ambitious achievements was building the supercluster in Memphis, Tennessee, in just 120 days, a feat industry veterans had warned would be impossible, with Babuschkin writing in the X post that he oversaw much of the company's engineering efforts. He described a critical moment toward the end of the build when the team faced issues communicating over remote direct memory access between machines, prompting Musk to fly to the data center to assist in troubleshooting. "Our infra team landed in Memphis in the middle of the night and got straight to work," Babuschkin wrote, explaining that the issue was eventually traced to an incorrect basic input/output system setting. When the system finally ran successfully, Musk posted about the achievement at 4:20 a.m., a moment Babuschkin recalled as filled with adrenaline and laughter. "I learned two priceless lessons from Elon: #1 be fearless in rolling up your sleeves to personally dig into technical problems, #2 have a maniacal sense of urgency," he added. See Also: 'Scrolling To UBI' -- Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can invest today for just $0.30/share. Second Major Exit from xAI in a Month Babuschkin's resignation follows another recent leadership change. xAI's top lawyer, Robert Keele, also recently announced he left the company. Keele wrote on X that his decision was driven by a desire to spend more time with his family, calling the job "the adventure of a lifetime" while praising the team and his work with Musk. In his farewell post, Babuschkin compared leaving xAI to feeling "a proud parent, driving away after sending their kid away to college" and expressed gratitude for the dedication and sacrifices of his colleagues. He said catching up to the AI frontier had been difficult but credited the team's grit and urgency for the company's rapid progress. Babuschkin wrote that a conversation with Max Tegmark, founder of the Future of Life Institute, reinforced his commitment to ensuring AI is developed safely so future generations can flourish. Read Next: Kevin O'Leary Says Real Estate's Been a Smart Bet for 200 Years -- This Platform Lets Anyone Tap Into It Image: Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

XAI co-founder Babuschkin departs to launch AI safety investment firm

(Reuters) -Igor Babuschkin, a co-founder of Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI, said on Wednesday that he has left the company and plans to launch an investment firm focused on AI safety research. Musk launched xAI in 2023 to challenge Big Tech's AI push, accusing industry leaders of excessive censorship and lax safety standards. "Today was my last day at xAI," Babuschkin said in a post on X, adding that his new venture, Babuschkin Ventures, will back AI safety research and startups developing the technology. Babuschkin, who previously worked at Google's DeepMind and OpenAI, described xAI's early scramble to build infrastructure and models, saying he created "many of the foundational tools" for launching and managing training jobs before later overseeing engineering across infrastructure, product and applied AI projects. His departure follows that of xAI's legal head, Robert Keele, earlier this month, and comes amid intensifying competition among AI players such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, which are pouring resources into training and deploying advanced systems. Last month, Musk-owned X's CEO Linda Yaccarino also resigned, just months after the platform was folded into xAI. Musk is separately contending with executive departuresat Tesla. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

Elon Musk's xAI co-founder departs to start his own AI-focused VC firm

Babuschkin said his new firm will support AI safety research and fund startups in "AI and agentic systems." Igor Babuschkin, a co-founder of Elon Musk's AI startup xAI, has announced he is leaving the company after playing a major role in its rise. Since helping launch xAI in 2023, Babuschkin has led engineering teams and been at the centre of building it into one of Silicon Valley's leading AI model developers. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he revealed that he will now focus on a new chapter in his career, which is launching his own venture capital firm, Babuschkin Ventures. "Today was my last day at xAI, the company that I helped start with Elon Musk in 2023," he wrote in a post on X. "I still remember the day I first met Elon, we talked for hours about AI and what the future might hold. We both felt that a new AI company with a different kind of mission was needed." Also read: Apple plans AI comeback with tabletop robot, lifelike Siri and more: Report Babuschkin said his new firm will support AI safety research and fund startups in "AI and agentic systems" that aim to "advance humanity and unlock the mysteries of our universe." He was inspired to take this step after a dinner with Max Tegmark, founder of the Future of Life Institute, where they discussed how AI could be developed safely to benefit future generations. Reflecting on his time at the company, Babuschkin said he has "enormous love for the whole family at xAI," describing the team as "the most dedicated people I've ever worked with." He acknowledged that catching up to the AI frontier so quickly "hasn't been easy," crediting the achievement to the team's "diehard grit and spirit." He thanked every member for their contributions, time, and sacrifices. Also read: AI startup Perplexity offers whopping $34.5 bn to buy Google Chrome browser, here's why Looking back, Babuschkin compared himself to "a proud parent, driving away after sending their kid away to college." He also said that he learned two "priceless lessons" from Elon Musk: "be fearless in rolling up your sleeves to personally dig into technical problems" and "have a maniacal sense of urgency."