xAI’s legal chief steps down after whirlwind year

13.08.2025

Robert Keele announced this week that he has stepped down as xAI’s head of legal after just over a year in the role, citing a desire to spend more time with his young children and noting “daylight between our worldviews” with Elon Musk. Keele, who joined xAI in May 2024 as its first legal chief, described the experience as “incredible” and working with Musk as “the adventure of a lifetime,” but said he could no longer balance the demands of both family and work. His tenure coincided with xAI’s rapid expansion, including a \$6 billion Series B funding round that valued the company at \$24 billion, followed by its high-profile acquisition of X in March 2025 — a deal Musk said valued xAI at \$80 billion and X at \$33 billion.

Taking over the role is Lily Lim, a former NASA rocket scientist who worked on spacecraft navigation for the mission that mapped Venus’ surface before transitioning into law. Lim joined xAI in late 2024 as a privacy and IP specialist, bringing experience from both top law firms and companies such as ServiceNow. Keele’s exit adds to a wave of high-level departures across Musk’s businesses, including X CEO Linda Yaccarino last month and multiple senior leaders at Tesla. Musk, known for expecting employees to work long hours — sometimes even sleeping at the office — has seen both rapid executive turnover and continued loyalty from a core group of long-standing lieutenants.