'We have way more tents': xAI co-founder dismisses viral office photo

The post served as a direct rebuttal to the growing online chatter about xAI’s alleged sleeping arrangements.

Greg Yang, co-founder of Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture xAI, has denied viral social media claims that alleged tents had been pitched inside the company’s office premises in preparation for the launch of its upcoming AI model, Grok 4. The widely circulated images purported to show rows of tents set up for engineers to sleep overnight inside what was claimed to be xAI’s headquarters.

The claim gained traction across platforms, with many online users drawing a connection between the alleged work conditions and Musk’s well-documented endorsement of extreme work culture. The billionaire entrepreneur, who also leads Tesla, X (formerly Twitter), and SpaceX, has frequently stated his preference for long hours and overnight work.

visiting the xAI office really humbled me pic.twitter.com/TtHkzE6Ljk

— djcows (@djcows) July 1, 2025

On June 27, Musk posted on X: “Grinding on Grok all night with xAI team. Good progress.” In an earlier post dated May 2024, he wrote: “Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms.” Musk added that he planned to remain “super focused on X, xAI and Tesla.”

Given this backdrop, it did not seem implausible to many when an X user posted images showing tents set up in an indoor office space, alleging it to be xAI’s base of operations. While the photographs lacked official confirmation, several users accepted the claim at face value, with reactions ranging from admiration for the engineers’ dedication to criticism of exploitative tech industry culture.

However, Greg Yang, a Harvard-trained mathematician and co-founder of xAI, stepped in to debunk the claim—albeit with humour. “That’s not our office. We have way more tents,” Yang posted, offering a tongue-in-cheek denial intended to clarify the situation while simultaneously mocking the speculation.

that's not our office we have way more tents https://t.co/3iewHFw6AD — Greg Yang (@TheGregYang) July 2, 2025

The post served as a direct rebuttal to the growing online chatter about xAI’s alleged sleeping arrangements. Despite the false claim, the timing of the rumour coincided with a significant period for the company, as xAI prepares for the anticipated July 4 release of Grok 4.

Separately, Reuters reported on July 1 that xAI had successfully raised $5 billion in debt financing, in addition to securing a separate $5 billion strategic equity investment. According to the reporting, the funds will be allocated towards the company’s AI infrastructure development, the construction of a new data centre, and further enhancement of its flagship Grok platform.

Founded in 2023, xAI has positioned itself as a leading contender in the generative AI race, with Musk frequently positioning Grok as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.