Elon Musk's xAI opens Seattle office with $180K-$440K salaries

Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, is expanding its global presence by opening a new office in Seattle, offering engineering roles with salaries ranging from $180,000 to $440,000. This strategic move situates xAI near Microsoft's headquarters, intensifying competition in the AI sector, especially given Musk's complex relationship with Microsoft, which includes both partnership and legal disputes. The Seattle team will focus on generative AI technologies, specifically video and image generation systems, as xAI aims to challenge competitors like OpenAI and Meta. xAI's expansion complements its existing offices across major cities including San Francisco, London, and New York, and reflects its rapid growth despite recent high-profile departures. The move also highlights the fierce competition for AI talent in the region, where other major players like OpenAI and Anthropic operate with even higher salary offerings. Overall, xAI is positioning itself as a significant contender in the AI landscape, leveraging close proximity to Microsoft and aggressive hiring to advance its Grok large language model and other AI innovations.