Robert Keele has stepped down as xAI’s head of legal after just over a year, citing family priorities and philosophical differences with Elon Musk.
Quick Summary – TLDR:
- Robert Keele exits xAI after a year in the role, saying he wants to spend more time with his two young children.
- Keele noted “daylight between our worldviews” with Musk as part of his decision to leave.
- His tenure saw major milestones including a $6 billion Series B round and the acquisition of X.
- Lily Lim, a former NASA rocket scientist, will step into the role as xAI’s new legal chief.
What Happened?
Robert Keele, xAI’s first-ever head of legal, has resigned from the company a little over a year after joining. Keele cited his desire to spend more time with his young children and acknowledged philosophical differences with CEO Elon Musk. His announcement was made on X and LinkedIn, drawing an outpouring of support from colleagues and parents alike.
I’m leaving xAI.
— Rob Keele (@keelelaw_io) August 5, 2025
I love my two toddlers and I don’t get to see them enough.
The job was a dream, the team, incredible. Working with Elon on this tech, at this time, was the adventure of a lifetime. Although there’s daylight between our worldviews, his vision, commitment, and… pic.twitter.com/NyPqsPLmtK
Leadership Shake-Up at xAI
Keele joined xAI in May 2024, just before the company secured a massive $6 billion Series B funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, valuing the company at $24 billion. Within months, xAI’s growth accelerated, culminating in its March 2025 acquisition of Musk’s social media platform X in a deal that valued xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion. His legal expertise, honed in previous roles at Elroy Air and Airbus’s Silicon Valley innovation center, was seen as critical during xAI’s expansion. Keele also briefly ran his own short-lived legal consultancy, Keele Law, before joining the startup.
A Pattern of Executive Turnover
Keele’s departure adds to a growing list of senior-level exits across Musk’s companies. X CEO Linda Yaccarino resigned last month, and Tesla has recently lost several top executives. The company also disbanded its Dojo supercomputer team. Musk is known for expecting intense dedication from his employees, sometimes requiring them to work long hours or even sleep at the office. Other startups in the competitive AI space have adopted similarly demanding work cultures. For example, AI coding startup Cognition recently signaled plans to shrink its team, with its CEO openly rejecting the idea of work-life balance.
Lily Lim Steps In
Taking over as xAI’s new legal chief is Lily Lim, who joined the company in late 2024 as a privacy and intellectual property specialist. Before becoming a lawyer, Lim was a rocket scientist at NASA, working on spacecraft navigation for the Venus surface mapping project. Her unique combination of technical expertise and legal acumen is expected to be valuable as xAI navigates complex regulatory and intellectual property challenges.
SQ Magazine Takeaway
I think Keele’s exit shows just how tough it can be to balance personal priorities with the relentless pace of high-growth tech companies, especially under leaders like Musk. It is also a reminder that even dream jobs can become unsustainable when values and lifestyle needs do not align. xAI’s rapid rise has been nothing short of impressive, but consistent leadership will be key if it wants to keep momentum without burning through talent.
