Elon Musk returns to Seattle as xAI expands engineering hub

Elon Musk flew from Jack Northrop Field Hawthorne Municipal Airport in California to Seattle Paine Field International Airport on May 11 aboard his Gulfstream G550, tail number N272BG. The brief 2-hour-9-minute hop departed at 5:05 a.m. Pacific time, reaching maximum speeds over 500 knots at 43,000 feet before touching down around 7:15 a.m. local time.

The timing coincides with ongoing developments at xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence venture, which established an engineering center in Bellevue, east of Seattle, earlier this year. Per a GeekWire report from February, the office in a former Epic Games space aims to attract top talent with salaries up to $440,000, bolstering xAI's competition in the region's burgeoning AI corridor alongside OpenAI. Musk's presence underscores hands-on management of the expansion, even as his companies navigate local scrutiny.

This marks Musk's return after visits to the Seattle area on May 8 and 9, part of a pattern of frequent West Coast shuttles from his Texas base. SpaceX maintains an outpost in nearby Redmond, drawing protests over Musk's past role in the Department of Government Efficiency under President Trump, as covered by The Chronicle in late March. With no public appearances announced, the trip likely focuses on private business beats in tech's Pacific Northwest frontier.