Co-founder of Elon Musk’s xAI Bids an Emotional Farewell to the Company
Igor Babuschkin, one of the driving forces behind Elon Musk’s xAI, announced on Wednesday that he’s stepping away from the company he helped create. In a heartfelt post on X, Babuschkin reflected on his journey, his memories with Musk, and what’s next for him.
For years, Babuschkin wasn’t just leading engineering teams at xAI — he was helping shape the company’s DNA, turning it into one of Silicon Valley’s most formidable AI model developers in an astonishingly short time.
“Today was my last day at xAI, the company I co-founded with Elon in 2023,” he wrote. “I still remember our first conversation — hours spent geeking out about AI, chasing wild ideas about the future. That day, we both knew the world needed a different kind of AI company, one with a mission that mattered.”
That mission will now take a new form. Babuschkin is launching Babuschkin Ventures, a VC firm focused on AI safety and backing bold startups “that push humanity forward and explore the mysteries of our universe.”
The spark for this new chapter? A dinner with Max Tegmark, founder of the Future of Life Institute. Over good food and deeper questions, they explored what it really means to build AI systems that serve — not endanger — future generations. For Babuschkin, the conversation hit close to home; he recalled how his parents left Russia for the U.S., chasing a better future for him.
His exit follows a turbulent spell for xAI. The company has been caught in a swirl of controversies involving its chatbot, Grok. From echoing Musk’s personal takes on hot-button issues, to spewing antisemitic rants under the bizarre self-chosen name “Mechahitler,” to unveiling a video tool that let users create AI-generated nudes of public figures like Taylor Swift — the PR storms have been relentless.
Yet beneath the headlines, xAI’s models have quietly been outperforming much of the competition — going toe-to-toe with the likes of OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic on industry benchmarks.
Before xAI, Babuschkin was part of Google DeepMind’s famed AlphaStar project, the AI that stunned the gaming world in 2019 by besting top StarCraft pros. He also spent years at OpenAI before the ChatGPT era began.
Looking back, he says building xAI was no smooth ride. Musk’s plan to assemble a Memphis-based supercomputer in just three months was called “impossible” by industry veterans. Against all odds, they pulled it off — though environmental groups have warned that the gas turbines powering the system are worsening local air quality.
Despite the friction, Babuschkin’s parting words carried warmth and pride:
“It feels like dropping your kid off at college — you’re proud, a little sad, but excited for what’s ahead.”
He credits Musk with two lessons he’ll carry forever:
1. Roll up your sleeves and dive into technical problems yourself — fearlessly.Babuschkin’s next chapter will unfold in venture capital, but his fingerprints will remain on xAI’s history — as the engineer who helped turn a moonshot idea into reality, and walked away still believing in its mission.
