xAI founding member describes 'grind' to get first Grok model out: 'No drugs, not even caffeine, just pure adrenaline'

XAI founding member Toby Pohlen wrote that the company taught him to "grind with purpose." Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images Elon Musk's xAI is known for its intense work culture. Founding member Toby Pohlen shared a peek inside. Pohlen described "a day and a half of straight coding and shipping" before Grok's 2023 release. After leaving xAI in February, Pohlen wrote that he was excited to get more than 8 hours of sleep. Elon Musk's companies are "hardcore." It's even in his text messa...