&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'He deletes anyone who doesn't treat him as Alpha': Why is Elon Musk’s empire facing a mass exodus?")
Elon Musk’s companies are facing a wave of senior departures, as the billionaire’s high-pressure style, shifting strategies and political battles fuel unrest at the top of his empire. Over the past year, Tesla has lost senior figures from its US sales unit, energy and power-train divisions, and even its chief information officer. High-level engineers, robotics leaders and public affairs heads have also walked away. At xAI, Musk’s two-year-old artificial intelligence start-up merged with X earlier this year, and turnover has been even faster. Its chief financial officer and general counsel left within days of each other.
Some executives left after long stints to start their own ventures or take breaks. But insiders say many departures stem from burnout, mass lay-offs and frustration with Musk’s shifting priorities.
Robert Keele, xAI’s general counsel, ended his tenure in August with an AI-generated video of a lawyer shovelling molten coal. Mike Liberatore, who lasted just three months as xAI’s finance chief, wrote: “102 days — 7 days per week in the office; 120+ hours per week; I love working hard.”
Rivalry with Sam Altman
Staff say Musk’s rivalry with Sam Altman, his former OpenAI co-founder, has fuelled the pressure. “Elon’s got a chip on his shoulder from ChatGPT and is spending every waking moment trying to put Sam out of business,” one former executive told the Financial Times. Last week, xAI accused OpenAI of poaching staff and stealing trade secrets. OpenAI dismissed the case as “the latest chapter in Musk’s ongoing harassment.”
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Tesla, once the most stable part of Musk’s group, saw an exodus after laying off 14,000 workers in April 2024. Insiders say discontent grew when Musk cancelled a planned low-cost $25,000 EV, shifting focus instead to robotics, AI and self-driving taxis.
Daniel Ho, who led the abandoned project, left for Google’s Waymo. Other high-level figures, including Drew Baglino, Rebecca Tinucci and David Zhang, also quit.
X loses key executives
X, Musk’s social media platform, was also hit hard. Linda Yaccarino resigned as chief executive in July, frustrated with Musk’s unilateral decision-making. Soon after, xAI co-founder Igor Babuschkin left to launch his own AI safety venture. Public relations chiefs Dave Heinzinger and John Stoll lasted only months before returning to their former employers, while several engineers close to Musk also left.
‘The boss, the alpha’
Former colleagues say Musk’s management style is a key factor behind the churn. “He’s the boss, the alpha and anyone who doesn’t treat him that way, he finds a way to delete,” a former Tesla executive told the FinancialTimes.a
