PeopleofSuperintelligence

Lab leader

Ross Nordeen

Ross Nordeen is an AI infrastructure operator whose career spans Tesla’s training systems, xAI’s founding, and Anthropic’s compute expansion. A Michigan Tech graduate, they help build Tesla data centers for Full Self-Driving training in 2021. They worked as a technical program manager in Tesla’s supercomputing and machine-learning division before joining xAI’s 12-person founding team in July 2023. They coordinate priorities for Elon Musk and leave xAI in March 2026 as the last of its 11 co-founders. Since May 2026, they work on computing capacity and expansion at Anthropic.

Now at
Anthropic
Badges

Timeline

  1. 2021

    Autopilot compute at Tesla

    A Tesla organizational chart lists them as a technical program manager in Autopilot in 2021. They work on data centers for Tesla Full Self-Driving training.

  2. 2022

    Twitter layoff planning

    In 2022, they are involved in planning major layoffs at Twitter after Musk acquires the company.

  3. July 2023

    Joining xAI’s founding team

    In July 2023, Musk announces xAI’s 12-person founding team, which includes Nordeen. They join from Tesla’s supercomputing and machine-learning division, where they serve as a technical program manager, and they are a Michigan Tech graduate.

  4. February 2026

    SpaceX acquires xAI

    SpaceX acquires xAI in an all-stock transaction in February 2026, making xAI a wholly owned subsidiary.

  5. By March 2026

    Musk’s right-hand operator

    By March 2026, they report directly to Musk as xAI’s “right-hand operator,” coordinating priorities and execution across the company.

  6. March 2026

    Two xAI founders remain

    By mid-March 2026, only Nordeen and Manuel Kroiss remain of xAI’s 11 co-founders.

  7. March 2026

    Last xAI co-founder leaves

    After Kroiss announces his departure, Nordeen leaves xAI in March 2026 as the last of its 11 co-founders to leave.

  8. Since May 2026

    Compute at Anthropic

    In May 2026, they join Anthropic to oversee the computing capacity and expansion needed to train and run its AI models. Their announcement comes on the day Anthropic agrees to rent compute capacity at xAI’s Colossus 1 data center in Memphis.

Career

  1. Since 2026Anthropic
  2. 2023–2026xAICo-founder, Right-hand operator
  3. 2021–2023TeslaTechnical Program Manager

Education

  1. Michigan Technological University

From the biography.

  1. Google alumni have founded or led 133 other organizations, more than any other AI labIncludes Ross Nordeen. We estimate that alumni of 17 major AI labs went on to found or lead 350 other organizations, including 226 they founded, and we trace 472 career moves directly between 23 labs since 2010.
  2. 22 of 133 people shaping AI with a former OpenAI role now work at AnthropicIncludes Anthropic. Our estimates of where OpenAI recruits came from and where 133 people with former OpenAI roles work now, including the companies and labs they founded.
  3. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes Anthropic. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, recent citations, dual appointments and job moves across 2,420 university researchers and 308 frontier-lab researchers.
  4. Companies supply the most prior-work hires at 7 of the 9 frontier AI labsIncludes Anthropic. Our estimates of the organizations where 550 people worked directly before joining 9 frontier AI labs across 620 career transitions, comparing the main feeder organizations per lab.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Ross Nordeen yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Elon Musk se queda solo: abandona el último cofundador de xAI businessinsider.es. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Elon Musk Announces xAI and Its 12-Man Team: Here’s Who They Are observer.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Elon Musk’s last co-founder reportedly leaves xAI techcrunch.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. SpaceXAI - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. All 11 xAI co-founders have now reportedly left Elon Musk’s AI company thenextweb.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Anthropic hires OpenAI cofounder Andrej Karpathy, former Tesla AI lead cnbc.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Anthropic’s top 10 hires of 2026 as it lures talent from OpenAI, Google, xAI and Microsoft — TFN techfundingnews.com. Checked 21 October 2026.