xAI's Finance Chief Mike Liberatore Leaves Amid Growing AI Competition

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, has lost its chief financial officer, Mike Liberatore, after just a few months, according to a September 3, 2025, Wall Street Journal report.

Liberatore, who started in April, left by late July, though the reasons for his exit remain unclear. xAI hasn’t commented on the matter.

His departure comes at a time when the AI industry is heating up, with companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic pouring money into building cutting-edge systems.

Liberatore, previously an executive at Airbnb, was instrumental in securing $5 billion in debt and another $5 billion in equity funding for xAI in June. These funds are set to fuel xAI’s work on its Grok platform, a new data center, and other AI projects, as per Morgan Stanley.

• xAI CFO Mike Liberatore Exits Amid Leadership Shakeups and AI Industry Rivalry
• Elon Musk’s xAI Loses Finance Chief as Competition with OpenAI, Google Heats Up
• Leadership Turmoil at xAI: CFO Departure Follows Co-Founder and Legal Head Exits

Musk launched xAI in 2023 to take on Big Tech’s AI efforts, arguing that major players prioritize censorship over safety. But xAI has hit some bumps lately. Liberatore’s exit follows that of co-founder Igor Babuschkin, who left in August to start an investment firm focused on AI safety. The company’s legal head, Robert Keele, also departed in August, and Linda Yaccarino, CEO of Musk’s social media platform X, stepped down in July after X was merged into xAI.

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These changes come at a pivotal moment for xAI as it works to advance its mission of speeding up human scientific discovery through AI. The Grok platform, available on x.com and mobile apps, remains central to xAI’s goals. As the company navigates this leadership shakeup, the AI world will be watching to see how xAI stays competitive in a fast-moving industry.