Elon Musk Appoints 20-Year-Old Student to Lead AI Training Team at His Company xAI

xAI, owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, has made a notable move by appointing student Diego Pasini (20 years old) as the leader of the AI training team, despite not having completed his university studies yet, according to Business Insider.

Pasini's appointment came after he won a hackathon competition organized by the company in San Francisco in early 2025, joining the workforce in January of the same year, before being selected to lead one of the company's most important divisions.

This decision is part of a comprehensive restructuring process that reduced xAI's workforce from 1,500 to about 900, where Pasini has started holding meetings with the remaining staff to evaluate their performance and reorganize the team since taking office.

This appointment reflects a shift in Musk's management philosophy, who bets on young leaders, many of whom are under 25, and on specialists in narrow fields instead of experienced managers. Notably, the position was previously held by an executive with over a decade of experience at Tesla, highlighting the bold nature of this change.