Elon Musk Bans 'Researcher' Title at xAI and SpaceX

In a recent move, Elon Musk has declared that his artificial intelligence company xAI will no longer use the term "researcher" and will only hire "engineers." Responding to a job posting by an xAI employee, Musk stated that the "researcher" label is an "outdated academic term" and a "thinly-masked way of describing a two-tier engineering system."

Musk's stance extends beyond xAI - he has also announced that SpaceX, another of his companies, will follow suit and eliminate the "researcher" title. Musk argues that while SpaceX engages in cutting-edge research on rockets and satellites, they do not use the "pretentious, low-accountability term 'researcher.'"

This move by Musk is part of a broader trend in the tech industry, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Companies like OpenAI, co-founded by Musk, and Anthropic have also adopted unconventional job titles to bridge the traditional divide between researchers and engineers. OpenAI, for instance, uses the designation "Member of Technical Staff," while Anthropic has a single title of "Member of Technical Staff" for all its scientists and engineers.

The rationale behind these changes is the belief that the line between research and engineering in machine learning has effectively disappeared, especially with the rise of large language models. Companies are seeking to create a more integrated and collaborative environment, where technical staff can contribute to both research and engineering tasks.