Elon Musk posted on social media that xAI will abolish the distinction between "researchers" and "engineers," and will use the title "engineer" uniformly. He criticized the term "researcher" as an outdated relic of academia, carrying connotations of pretentiousness and low responsibility. Musk cited SpaceX as an example, stating that its breakthroughs in rocket and satellite technology far exceed those of global academic laboratories, but it never uses the self-important term "researcher," emphasizing that "engineers" are the core force driving technological progress.
Some netizens support this move, believing that the title "researcher" may indeed evoke the image of an academic ivory tower, which is not consistent with xAI's mission of rapid iteration; however, there are also critical voices pointing out that the AI field requires a lot of basic research, and abolishing the title of "researcher" may cause xAI to lose its theoretical advantage in the long-term competition. In addition, xAI's official website states its mission is to "accelerate human scientific discovery," which requires the combination of theory and application. Whether Musk's decision will affect this balance is worth continuous observation.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839034910955532/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.