Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is facing a new lawsuit from a former engineer who claims he was fired after repeatedly raising concerns about the safety risks of Grok, the company’s chatbot.
Former xAI engineer Devin Kim filed a lawsuit against xAI and its parent SpaceX, claiming he was terminated for raising AI safety concerns while working on Grok.
Kim filed a lawsuit in California state court alleging that his efforts to place guardrails on Grok made him a target for company leadership.
The case adds to growing scrutiny over how artificial intelligence companies handle internal safety warnings as they race to release more powerful AI systems.
Lawsuit focuses on Grok safety and guardrails
According to TechCrunch, Kim became a prominent voice for AI safety while working on Grok and allegedly complained repeatedly about xAI’s failure to prioritize safety in the chatbot’s development.
The lawsuit claimed Kim was particularly concerned that Grok could contribute to discrimination and spread information about weapons of mass destruction.
Channel NewsAsia reported that the lawsuit said Kim repeatedly complained that xAI’s alleged failure to prioritize AI safety could lead the company toward unlawful acts, including discrimination and risks tied to weapons of mass destruction.
The allegations remain unproven in court, and xAI and SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to both reports.
Kim’s AI safety background adds weight to claims
Kim’s safety work did not begin at xAI. Before joining Musk’s AI company, Kim worked at Scale AI on early safety initiatives, including a project that produced training data for systems designed to detect harmful content and comply with governance policies.
Last week, the nonprofit Center for AI Safety named Kim as its president.
Kim now heads a think tank focused on AI safety, reinforcing his public role in debates over artificial intelligence risk.
Kim allegedly joined xAI in 2024 as one of its initial hires and was later promoted to a key leadership position.
Lawsuit points to xAI co-founder Jimmy Ba
The complaint does not frame Musk himself as the main reason for the alleged safety problems.
Kim’s lawyers described Musk as having directed xAI to follow the law and implement appropriate safety and testing processes.
Instead, the lawsuit focuses on xAI co-founder Jimmy Ba, who allegedly ignored Musk’s directives and retaliated against Kim for pushing safeguards.
Kim claimed Ba flouted Musk’s expectations and rejected Kim’s insistence on implementing safety mechanisms.
Kim said Ba abruptly fired him in September 2025, shortly before he was set to give a presentation on AI safety to company leadership.
Grok controversies intensify attention
The lawsuit comes as Grok has already faced criticism over safety and behavior issues.
The lawsuit referenced Grok’s controversial online behavior, including an incident where the model likened itself to “MechaHitler.”
The report also said Grok later drew attention when the chatbot was used to flood X, Musk’s social media platform, with nonconsensual sexual imagery.
Those incidents have made Grok a central example in broader debates over AI moderation, model behavior, and whether companies are moving too quickly in releasing AI products.
Case lands before major SpaceX market event
The timing of the lawsuit is notable because it comes shortly before SpaceX’s planned initial public offering.
The lawsuit comes ahead of SpaceX’s planned IPO, described in the report as the largest ever.
Kim’s lawsuit accuses xAI and SpaceX of retaliation and wrongful discharge in violation of California law and seeks unspecified monetary damages.
For xAI, the case raises questions not only about one employee’s termination but also about how AI companies treat internal warnings on safety, bias, and harmful outputs. As Grok and other AI models become more visible to users, the lawsuit could place new pressure on xAI to show that rapid product development does not come at the expense of internal safeguards.
