Elon Musk demands accountability from xAI employees with new email

In the United States, Elon Musk has once again turned his attention to corporate accountability by asking employees at his company xAI to summarize their recent achievements. This request was made via email on a Tuesday afternoon, wherein Musk demanded a one-page summary detailing what each employee accomplished in the past four weeks and their intended goals for the next four weeks. The deadline for submission was set for noon on the following Thursday. This approach is characteristic of Musk's leadership style, which he has employed across various companies throughout his career. Similar demands were noted in August 2024 when he sent a similar email to staff at X, requesting a summary of contributions over the preceding month and year. This was aimed at aligning stock and option awards with the contributions of employees. Several employees received this email stressing the importance of the information, and those who did not respond faced the stark warning that their inaction would be interpreted as a resignation. Musk's management methods have had contentious outcomes in the past, with many federal employees, who were part of a different initiative, being advised against answering similar emails regarding their achievements due to security concerns. Musk had also seen a sharp reversal in policy concerning this matter, prompting confusion among employees. xAI's landscape has changed recently as well, with significant layoffs reported in its data annotation team, which included roles like