xAI Employees Say Elon Musk Promised Them $420 to Feed Their Taxes Into Grok, But Stiffed Them on the Payment

xAI promised workers $420 if they fed their tax returns into Grok. Two months later, the promised payments had not been made. The company sought to improve Grok’s tax capabilities ahead of tax day as more people used chatbots for IRS-related help. Managers offered cash plus early access to X Money for tax filings and related documents. The offer was extended to employees’ family and friends who used an accountant to prepare taxes. Some recipients were told the manager running the scheme no longer worked there. The unpaid promises add to low morale following layoffs and the forced departure of some cofounders.

"Bloomberg reports that Musk's AI company promised to pay workers $420 if they fed their tax returns into the company's chatbot Grok, but that two months later, he still hasn't paid them the money he owes. Let that one sink in, chumps! Musk's incredible act of stiffing his loyal grunts came as the company was seeking to beef up Grok's tax capabilities ahead of this year's tax day as more people turn to chatbots to help make nice with the IRS."

"Managers at the company came up with an ingenious scheme: tax filings and other relevant documents in exchange for cold, hard cash - plus early access to X Money, Musk's creatively named payments platform. But why stop at employees? The plan was extended to employees' family and friends who used an accountant to prepare their taxes, according to Bloomberg - and they, too, were promised money."

"Much like a dud edible that never kicked in after hours of waiting, the $420 payments still haven't materialized. And it sounds like xAI is giving its employees the ol' run around: some employees who asked about where their money was were told that the manager in charge of the scheme no longer worked there, per the reporting. Of course, those payments could eventually come through, but it's not a great look at a company where morale is already running low after Musk announced sweeping layoffs and forced out some of its cofounders."

Read at Futurism