Lawsuit Says xAI Fired Engineer Over Grok Safety Warning

TechCrunch reports that former xAI engineer Devin Kim has filed a lawsuit in California state court against xAI and its parent company SpaceX, alleging that he was fired for repeatedly raising AI safety concerns during the development of Grok. Kim left xAI in September 2025, and the lawsuit comes just days before SpaceX is expected to enter the public market, giving the case implications for corporate governance and pre-IPO risk disclosure. According to the complaint, Kim worked on Grok-related projects while at xAI and was described as one of the more active voices within the company advocating for AI safety. He repeatedly questioned whether xAI was giving safety sufficient priority, with particular concern that Grok could fuel discrimination or help disseminate information related to weapons of mass destruction. The complaint also cites later criticism of Grok over issues involving hate, bias, and nonconsensual imagery as context suggesting that his safety concerns were not unfounded. Notably, the complaint does not portray Elon Musk as the main reason safety was neglected; instead, it says Musk had instructed xAI to comply with the law and adopt appropriate safety and testing procedures. Kim’s side primarily points to his manager, xAI co-founder Jimmy Ba, alleging that Ba ignored safety directives and retaliated against Kim for his repeated complaints. The complaint further accuses Ba of trying to evade EU safety rules during the release of Grok Code 1 and of favoring the release of a better-performing unsafe model over a worse but safer one. Kim was reportedly planning to present his findings in mid-September 2025, but was then told that the two sides should part ways. xAI and SpaceX did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment. Kim is currently seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a court declaration that the alleged conduct was unlawful.