Engineer at Elon Musk's xAI Departs After Spilling the Beans

[tinrobot]

So what exactly did Ghori reveal on Relentless? Well, he seemed to tip off the possibility that xAI has been skirting regulations and getting dubious permits when building data centers—specifically, its prized Colossus supercomputer in Memphis, Tennessee. “The lease for the land itself was actually technically temporary. It was the fastest way to get the permitting through and actually start building things,” he said. “I assume that it’ll be permanent at some point, but it’s a very short-term lease at the moment, technically, for all the data centers. It’s the fastest way to get things done.”

When asked how xAI has gone about getting those temporary leases, Ghori explained that they worked with local and state governments to get permits that allow companies to “modify this ground temporarily,” and said they are typically for things like carnivals.

Colossus was not without controversy already. The data center, which xAI brags only took 122 days to build, was powered by at least 35 methane gas turbines that the company reportedly didn’t have the permits to operate. Even the Donald Trump-staffed Environmental Protection Agency declared the turbines to be illegal. Those turbines, which were operating without permission, contributed to the significant amount of air pollution experienced by surrounding communities.

More here:
https://gizmodo.com/engineer-at-elon-musks-xai-departs-after-spilling-the-beans-in-podcast-interview-2000712569

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Illegal high-polluting gas turbines powering a massive AI center built on land permitted for a traveling carnival. All so Musk can shove his kid-p@rn creating AI down our throats.

I'm pretty neutral on AI as a technology, but things like this make me absolutely hate the way these self-serving oligarchs are implementing it.

We do not need to be doing this.

[SheltieLover]

1. And xAI is only 1 of 4 in the Memphis region.

Involved local politicians are all said to have signed iron-clad NDAs. Htf can they do this? They were elected to serve, not poison, voters!

[OldBaldy1701E]

2. They can sign NDAs but they cannot stop a recall! (n/t)

[mopinko]

9. who says they're 'iron clad'?

sounds impossible to me. someone shd ask a judge.

[SheltieLover]

19. The way it was reported in local news

[AverageOldGuy]

3. Let me guess . . .

, contributed to the significant amount of air pollution experienced by surrounding communities.

The surrounding communities are Black or Hispanic or Poor White???

[SergeStorms]

7. I feel confident....

they're not located in the more upscale areas of Memphis.

Call it a hunch. 😉

[SheltieLover]

20. Black communities

[evolves]

24. 100% accurate.

Located west of Whitehaven, an area that has been a predominantly Black neighborhood since the 1970s.

Of COURSE.

[littlemissmartypants]

4. 📌 Bookmark. AI permitting process

Thanks so much for sharing this, tinrobot. ❤️

[relayerbob]

5. Of course they did

Bastards

[Clouds Passing]

6. Anything to do with Muck IS a carnival

[SergeStorms]

8. A carnival....

of lies and lawlessness, yes.

[Clouds Passing]

11. A nightmare funhouse with evil clowns carnival

[SheltieLover]

21. An evil carnival

[ChicagoTeamster]

10. So rich entitled addict doesn't operate his business by the same rules as the the competitors

To be fair, they might be cheating in their own ways as well, it might be a pay to play culture, but with all the government contracts Musk's companies are also getting they can afford to do things the right way.

Maybe they got up and running the fastest way but they need to work towards a compliant solution for the long term or be shut down.

[ancianita]

13. The court will decide. Musk won't get the last word on this one.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20958582

[ancianita]

12. As for "we" don't need to be doing this, the thing about corrupt oligarchs is that they know "we" can't stop them. BUT.

They're wrong. Musk and his xAI data center will lose in court.

Elon Musk's company xAI is facing a potential lawsuit, spearheaded by the NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center, for operating a Memphis data center using unpermitted gas turbines, violating the Clean Air Act, and causing significant air pollution in predominantly Black communities, leading to health concerns and environmental justice issues. The groups sent a formal notice in June 2025, giving xAI 60 days to comply before filing a full lawsuit, alleging violations of federal law for operating without necessary permits and controls for hazardous emissions.

Environmental Justice:
The facility is near predominantly African-American communities already facing health disparities.
Unpermitted Operation:
The turbines have been operating for over a year without proper permits, potentially making the site a major source of pollution in the county.
EPA Involvement:
A recent EPA rule change in early 2026 seems to support the environmental groups' stance, clarifying that permits are required and disproving xAI's claimed loophole.

[ChicagoTeamster]

17. So Apartheid AI polluted African American neighborhoods with their Data Centers? Who's surprised?

Remember the Dakota Access Pipeline? It was diverted from it's original path and rerouted from Bismarck due to water safety concerns and moved near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The KeystoneXL pipeline also faced tribal opposition over its path near water sources and sacred sites. In both cases, the oil would have never entered the American market. It was destined for the gulf coast to be sent to China. But, the risk of spills of dirty tar sands and shale oil where the oil companies could deny liability in court for years because the environmental laws referred to oil not bitumen which is what shale oil is until it's refined.

The rich white colonials always dump on the indigenous populations.

[ancianita]

18. No one is surprised. That wasn't the point of my answer. My answer was meant to update what's being done about it

in the courts.

Sure, the oligarch owned polluting companies have a history of overrunning the innocent, vulnerable and poor, who have least access to legal remedies -- because historically that has been their attitude toward "the other" -- to dominate, run over and run the least of society out so the oligarchs and their corporate fronts can keep their profits flowing by any means necessary, human cost born by the harmed innocent humans themselves. Bad oligarchs/companies cover up their indifference to human costs by saying: "Nothing personal, just business."

As with Scrooge's partner, Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol -- to this day the bad oligarchs and their corporate fronts don't care that the rich Marley repents by saying, "Mankind was my business!" His repentance came too late for him then, and unrepentant oligarchs now.

Human life is a blink in time, but for the human soul, Eternity is infinite.

[FakeNoose]

27. I think it's more "nimby" than anything racist

"Nimby" means "not in my back yard" and that's how the ultra-wealthy all-powerful conservatives feel about everything. They can throw their weight (and money) around and they always get what they want. Build it somewhere else, not in my back yard!

Less wealthy, more average, citizens don't get to do that as a rule, so the offending projects-for-the-public-good end up going where the protesters don't care. Yes, sometimes it's in the minorities' neighborhoods, but often it's in the wide-open countryside where there are more cows than voters to complain.

[Attilatheblond]

14. Is Elon at the root of Trump's psycological need to own Greenland?

Big Tech creates big heat, or am I misunderstanding recent news? Seems air exchange in a place like Greenland would be a cheaper way to keep things cool.

Also Big Tech thinks rules, regulations, zoning laws are for us pissant peasants, or am I misunderstanding current bribing systems? Big Tech certainly doesn't like us pissants looking into the methods they employ to manipulate hearts and minds. Seems easier to just have a big island where reporters can be held at bay.

Betting a lot of tech bros also do not like laws about employee protections (no pesky rules about visas for very bright people they want as indentured servants would be their wet dream), drug imports & use, or regulations protecting people from their encroaching into private data. Maybe the INCEL tech bros would like geographically imprisoned hot and cold running nubile victims?

Trump hates us talking about Epstein and his island, but it does keep us (rightfully) engaged. Maybe we should start snooping abound into the possibility our foreign policy might be hijacked into founding of Elon's Island?

Cut me some slack if this sounds a little far fetched, but I do some of my best prophecies before the coffee kicks in.

[highplainsdem]

23. Not at all farfetched. I've been posting about the tech bros wanting Greenland as one of the sites

for the regulation-free network states they want to creats.

[Attilatheblond]

25. Been thinkin & sayin the extremely wealthy have no country. They are warlords. They are without laws/restraints

I fear the world is about to demonstrate the accuracy of my predictions from years ago.

Hell being a Cassandra.

[Danascot]

15. "They are typically for things like carnivals."

... or circuses.

[mike_c]

16. "if you're rich, they let you"

Same as it ever was.

[calimary]

22. Boy, that's for sure.

[UTUSN]

26. K&R