Musk's xAI accused of illegally firing engineer who raised safety concerns

A former engineer at Elon Musk’s xAI has filed a lawsuit in California state court, accusing the company of illegally firing him for raising concerns about AI safety risks. Devin Kim, now president of the Center for AI Safety, claims his efforts to implement guardrails for the Grok chatbot made him a target of xAI leadership, particularly co-founder Jimmy Ba, who allegedly rejected safety measures. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, states Kim repeatedly warned that xAI’s neglect of AI safety could lead to unlawful acts, including discrimination and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He was abruptly fired last September before a scheduled presentation on AI safety to company executives. Kim, one of xAI’s initial hires in 2024, alleges he was promoted to a leadership role before being terminated for advocating safety protocols Musk had previously endorsed. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, citing wrongful discharge and retaliation under California law. This case follows SpaceX’s planned initial public offering, set for Friday, and comes after Musk’s recent legal defeat over OpenAI’s alleged mission drift. The lawsuit highlights broader concerns about safety culture at SpaceX and Musk’s ventures, including past reports of workplace injuries and risks tied to autonomous technology. xAI and SpaceX have not responded to requests for comment. The Center for AI Safety, where Kim now leads, focuses on mitigating AI risks, including those posed by advanced models like Grok.