xAI Co-Founder Igor Babuschkin Leaves to Launch AI Safety Investment Firm

Igor Babuschkin, co-founder of Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI, announced his departure on Wednesday to launch Babuschkin Ventures, an investment firm focused on AI safety research. Babuschkin, who previously worked at Google’s DeepMind and OpenAI, played a key role at xAI in developing foundational tools for model training and overseeing engineering across infrastructure, product, and applied AI projects.

xAI, launched by Musk in 2023 to challenge Big Tech’s AI efforts, has faced recent executive departures, including legal head Robert Keele and X CEO Linda Yaccarino. Babuschkin’s exit comes amid intense competition in the AI sector, with companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic heavily investing in advanced system development.