By Igor Babuschkin, who co-founded Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI in 2023, has officially stepped down as of August 13, 2025. He announced the departure in a post on X, reflecting on his journey from a CERN physics student to xAI’s engineering lead.
During his tenure, Babuschkin built foundational tools and helped oversee engineering across infrastructure, product, and applied AI domains.
Igor Babuschkin announced that he will launch Babuschkin Ventures, a new entity with the aim of researching AI safety and funding startups focused on agentic systems to “improve humanity and explore the mysteries of our universe.”
This separation comes shortly after xAI’s legal head Robert Keele also left the company and reflects broader leadership changes in Elon Musk’s ecosystem, including the resignation of CEO Linda Yaccarino.
Why This Matters?
Leadership Change: With Babuschkin leaving, xAI will shift from a phase of senior turnover within Musk’s AI organizations to a new phase.
The Importance of Safety: Babuschkin’s exit highlights the importance of AI safety and responsible innovation as the field continues to advance at a rapid pace.
Intense Competition: xAI has and will continue to experience intense competition from established AI developers including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
