Elon Musk has announced that his AI company, xAI, will no longer use the job title “researcher.”
The decision came after xAI employee Aditya Gupta posted a job listing on X, seeking “researchers and engineers.” Musk replied directly, saying the title “researcher” would be removed from the company entirely.
“Starting today, there are only engineers at xAI,” Musk wrote. He said the term “researcher” is a “relic from academia” and suggested it leads to low accountability. He added that it creates a “thinly-masked two-tier engineering system,” which he wants to eliminate.
Gupta quickly edited his post to seek “solid engineers” instead.
Musk compared the move to how SpaceX operates, stating that the aerospace company conducts advanced research without using the title “researcher.”
The decision sparked debate online. Some praised Musk’s emphasis on practical engineering. Others raised concerns that removing the title could discourage innovation and weaken AI safety by undervaluing long-term research.
Other AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic use neutral titles such as “Member of Technical Staff” to avoid hierarchy.
xAI, launched by Musk in 2023, is working to develop artificial general intelligence and aims to compete with companies like OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
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