Vineeth Sendilraj, a 19-year-old Indian-origin computer science student at Georgia Tech, has joined Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, as an engineer, describing the opportunity as a “full circle moment.” His announcement comes shortly after a viral moment at xAI’s December 2025 hackathon.
Sendilraj first gained attention when images and videos from the hackathon circulated online, showing him intensely drinking water in a room full of engineers. While initially shared lightheartedly, the clip became part of a larger controversy when Nik Pash, a senior AI executive at the tech firm Cline, posted a comment deemed racist and anti-South Asian. Sendilraj was not involved in the remark, but his image circulated widely during the backlash, placing him at the center of the online discussion. The incident ultimately led to Pash’s dismissal, with Cline affirming that his comments did not reflect company values.
A week after the viral episode, Sendilraj shared on X that he had been “clipped for drinking water” and was now joining xAI “to build the future of AI,” calling it a “full circle moment.” The post received widespread attention and congratulatory messages, including from xAI employees.
Sendilraj joined xAI following his team’s first-place win at the company’s hackathon, where participants created projects using the X API. A Georgia Tech student focused on artificial intelligence and high-performance systems, he is also a prolific builder and content creator with multiple hackathon victories and projects to his name. His move to xAI marks a promising start to a career at the forefront of AI development.
