"XAI's data annotation team has faced sweeping layoffs and leadership changes this month - and the job of heading up the team training Grok has fallen to a college student who started working at the company eight months ago. Diego Pasini, who graduated from high school in 2023, took over the data annotation team that trains Grok after at least nine high-level employees had their Slack accounts deactivated last week, Business Insider previously reported."
"Before the team's layoffs, Pasini also posted an announcement in Slack asking workers to focus on a series of tests that would determine their future position at xAI, BI previously reported. The data annotation team is made up of contract and full-time staff tasked with labeling, categorizing, and contextualizing raw data to teach Grok how to better understand the world. Prior to last week's layoffs, it had a headcount of around 1,500. That number is now around 900."
Diego Pasini, a 2023 high-school graduate who joined xAI in January after winning an xAI hackathon, began leading the data annotation team in early September. The team trains the Grok model by labeling, categorizing, and contextualizing raw data and includes both contract and full-time staff. Headcount fell from about 1,500 to roughly 900 after multiple rounds of layoffs, including more than 500 cuts on September 12 and additional reductions affecting over 100 employees. At least nine high-level employees had their Slack accounts deactivated before those cuts. Pasini led an all-hands on September 15 and oversaw rapid one-on-one meetings and tests to assess workers' roles. Pasini and xAI did not respond to comment requests.
Read at Business Insider
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