Elon Musk Says xAI Will Only Have “Engineers”—Here’s Why That Matters
If you’ve ever looked at job postings in the tech world, you’ve probably seen titles like “Researcher” and “Engineer.” But Elon Musk, the billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX, just made a big change at his artificial intelligence startup, xAI: from now on, everyone in a technical role will be called an “Engineer”—no more “Researchers.”
What Sparked the Change?
It all started when Aditya Gupta, an employee at xAI, posted a job listing on X (formerly Twitter) looking for “researchers and engineers” to help build out their AI systems. Musk quickly replied, saying that xAI would no longer use the title “researcher.” According to Musk, the term creates a two-tier system, making it seem like some people are more academic or theoretical, while others are more hands-on. He believes this division is unnecessary and outdated.
Musk wrote, “This false nomenclature of ‘researcher’ and ‘engineer’, which is a thinly-masked way of describing a two-tier engineering system, is being deleted from xAI today. There are only engineers. Researcher is a relic term from academia.”
Gupta quickly updated his post, now looking for “solid engineers” instead.
Why Does This Matter?
Musk’s reasoning is that at companies like SpaceX, people do groundbreaking work—what many would call “research”—but they’re all called engineers. He thinks the title “researcher” sounds pretentious and doesn’t come with enough accountability. In his view, everyone working on technical problems should be held to the same standard, whether they’re building rockets or developing AI.
This move also brings xAI in line with other leading AI companies. For example, OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) and Anthropic both use the title “Member of Technical Staff” for all their technical employees. They believe that the line between “research” and “engineering” has blurred, especially as AI models have become more complex. At these companies, engineers often publish research papers, and the work is highly collaborative.
The Bigger Picture
Musk’s decision is part of a larger trend in the tech industry to break down old hierarchies and encourage teamwork. By treating everyone as an engineer, xAI hopes to foster a culture where everyone is equally responsible for innovation and results.
So, if you’re hoping to work at xAI, don’t call yourself a “researcher”—at least, not anymore!
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