xAI, the AI company founded by Elon Musk, has lost all 11 of its original co-founders by March 2026, along with more than 80 researchers and engineers. At Google, chief scientist Jeff Dean left the company after nearly 27 years of service in February 2026. OpenAI and Anthropic are also facing concerns from their researchers regarding strategic direction, particularly around safety and advertising integration. This wave of mass departures, described as a talent war in the industry, represents material risk for investors in publicly traded AI companies, whose valuations depend on maintaining a research edge.
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