Robert Keele has departed as the top legal official at Elon Musk-owned xAI, after a little more than a year in the position. He’s looking to spend more time with his children—which we wholeheartedly support! Keele, who shared news of his departure on social media channels X (Twitter) and LinkedIn, was adamant on making sure that he put family before his work obligations.
With the departures, Keele became the first legal head of xAI in May 2024. Just before her joining, the company closed an eye-popping $6 billion Series B funding round, soaring its valuation to $24 billion. He came on the heels of a short period. In the meantime, he started a fractional in-house legal shop, but it didn’t last long. Prior to joining xAI, Keele spent a decade working on privacy and intellectual property law in private practice, as well as in-house at the likes of ServiceNow.
His announced departure follows on his admission that there was a “daylight between our worldviews” with the company’s founder, Elon Musk. This short comment illuminates much of the struggle he went through trying to thread the needle in that unique balancing act. Keele’s been over a number of obstacles, but he has garnered accolades from fellow artists and industry professionals. Parents especially love his impressions and identify with his sense of eye.
“I love my two toddlers and I don’t get to see them enough.” – Robert Keele
Keele’s departure has prompted an outpouring of support on social media from xAI colleagues, who recognized his contributions to the company. Most voiced their approval of his choice to put family first.
In his resignation message, Keele spoke about the difficulty of “riding two horses at once — the family and the job,” indicating the challenges he faced in balancing work and home life. His two toddlers now take up much of his attention, serving as grounding figures for him as he continues to shift away from his career-based obligations.
Lily Lim, who led the AI safety team at xAI, will replace Keele at xAI. Lim’s unique background as an advocate will serve her well in the new role. Before coming to law school, they were a rocket scientist at NASA. Her experience will bring a new perspective to xAI’s newly formed legal department. The firm’s focus on seabed management comes as story highlight technology and innovation are rapidly changing the ocean space.
