Last Two xAI Co-Founders Depart as SpaceX Prepares IPO Rebuild
Manuel Kroiss and Ross Nordeen, the last two of Elon Musk’s original 11 xAI co-founders, have left the AI startup’s pretraining and operations teams. xAI was recently acquired by SpaceX and is undergoing a foundational rebuild while SpaceX gears up for an IPO under Musk’s unified corporate umbrella.
1. Final Co-Founders Exit xAI
Manuel Kroiss, leader of the pretraining team, and Ross Nordeen, Musk’s right-hand operator, officially departed xAI this month, marking the exit of all 11 original co-founders. Kroiss confirmed his departure earlier in the week, followed by Nordeen’s exit on Friday after transitioning from his role at Tesla.
2. Leadership Roles Defined
Kroiss oversaw xAI’s foundational AI pretraining efforts, while Nordeen, who joined from Tesla, coordinated key operational and strategic initiatives and was involved in major staffing decisions at X. Both reported directly to Elon Musk, highlighting their central roles in xAI’s initial development.
3. SpaceX Acquisition and Rebuild
SpaceX completed its acquisition of xAI and consolidated Musk’s AI, aerospace, and social media ventures under one umbrella. Musk has stated that xAI is being rebuilt from the ground up as SpaceX prepares for a potential IPO, signaling a new strategic direction for the AI startup.