Grok Chatbot Launch
xAI launched its AI chatbot, Grok, in November 2022, shortly after Musk unveiled the formation of the company in July of the same year. Grok is currently available exclusively to X Premium subscribers on the platform formerly known as Twitter. The chatbot has been described as an edgier version of OpenAI's popular ChatGPT.
During a remote appearance at a technology conference in Paris, Musk acknowledged that xAI still has ground to cover to compete with the technology from OpenAI and Google, stating, "Perhaps by the end of this year, we will be on par."
Key Investors in xAI
The $6 billion Series B funding round for xAI attracted investments from several prominent venture capital firms and high-profile individuals, including:
- Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, both of which have also backed OpenAI, xAI's main competitor
- Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Fidelity, and Craft Ventures
- Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and his investment firm, Kingdom Holding
The participation of investors who have also funded OpenAI highlights the complex web of interests within the tech investment community, as key players in the industry vie for a stake in the rapidly growing AI sector.
