Elon Musk's Leadership Spurs Mass Senior Staff Exodus from Tesla and xAI

Elon Musk's leadership style in 2025 has triggered a significant exodus of top executives and engineers from Tesla and xAI, driven by his intense work demands, chaotic decision-making, and deteriorating public image. Notable departures include Linda Yaccarino, former CEO of X, and Mike Liberatore, ex-CFO of xAI, who cited excessive workloads and management frustrations, with many defecting to rival OpenAI. Internal turmoil at xAI also saw mass layoffs of data annotators and a surprising appointment of a 20-year-old to lead the AI training team amid restructuring efforts. Criticism from former employees, such as Tesla engineer Giorgio Balestrieri, highlights concerns about Musk's political shifts and their impact on Tesla's mission and climate change efforts. Despite the controversies, Musk has engaged publicly in political discourse and humorously acknowledged criticism of his leadership. This wave of leadership instability and talent loss reveals deep challenges within Musk's business empire as his influence expands into AI and social media platforms.