Elon Musk’s xAI offered Grok employees $420 to submit their tax returns and related documents to train the Grok AI model, but the payments have not been made.

Separately, OpenAI is rolling out a personal-finance feature for Pro users that connects bank accounts to analyze spending, illustrating competitive pressure in AI-enabled finance tools.

Internal chats show the $420 payment was framed as compensation for providing real, complex tax data, raising privacy and data-handling concerns given the sensitive nature of tax documents.

The unresolved payments occur amid broader changes, including layoffs and the dismantling of the standalone xAI brand within SpaceX’s corporate structure, hinting at gaps in finance and payroll integration.

The incentive was pitched to accelerate Grok’s tax capabilities ahead of the US tax deadline, with some staff told the data would improve tax-related accuracy.

Bloomberg noted internal development delays at xAI, including attempts to roll out Grok’s first coding agent and competition benchmarking against Claude Code and Codex.

xAI has pursued data-driven initiatives like Macrohard, which faced delays before payments were processed and later became a joint venture involving Tesla and SpaceX leadership.

Internal communications show the payment was marketed as compensation for providing real tax data, fueling concerns about data promises and privacy.

Musk’s broader strategy to outpace rivals includes reorganizations under SpaceX and potential future public listing for xAI as part of dominating the AI space.

Musk is pushing to accelerate Grok’s development to beat competitors as SpaceX contemplates a possible public listing, while managing turnover and restructuring.

Grok aimed to speed capabilities ahead of the tax deadline, but management issues and delays in payments and data-sharing onboarding hindered progress.

Months passed without payment; staff learned the program manager was no longer with the company, and Bloomberg notes no response from xAI on the matter.