Mike Liberatore Leaves xAI Amid Executive Shakeup
Mike Liberatore, the chief financial officer of xAI, has stepped down from his position after only a few months in the role, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Liberatore, who previously worked at Airbnb, joined the Elon Musk-founded AI company in April 2025 and left around the end of July 2025[1].
Departure Follows Major Financial Moves
During his brief tenure, Liberatore played a significant role in orchestrating xAI’s $5 billion debt raise and an additional $5 billion equity round, with nearly half of the latter reportedly coming from SpaceX. He also oversaw elements of xAI’s Memphis data center expansion[1].
String of High-Profile Exits
Liberatore’s resignation is only the latest in a series of executive departures from xAI. Other recent exits include:
- Robert Keele, former general counsel, who departed in August after just over a year on the job.
- Raghu Rao, a senior lawyer, who also left around the same period[1].
- Igor Babuschkin, xAI co-founder, left last month to start his own VC firm focused on AI safety research[1].
- Linda Yaccarino, ex-CEO of X, resigned in July after controversy surrounding Grok, xAI’s chatbot[1].
Notably,
Grok is accessible through the X platform, which xAI acquired in March 2025[1].
Ongoing Executive Turnover
The wave of leadership changes at xAI points to ongoing turbulence at the rapidly expanding company. Earlier, Uday Ruddarraju, xAI’s Head of Infrastructure Engineering, also announced his departure, having led critical projects such as the Colossus supercomputer and the training of
Grok 3[2].
Looking Ahead
xAI, founded by Elon Musk, is currently facing intense scrutiny as it rebuilds its executive team while managing high-profile projects and partnerships. The recent departures highlight both the company’s rapid growth and the significant challenges of maintaining leadership stability in the competitive field of artificial intelligence.
