Indian-origin software engineer Vineeth Sendilraj, who recently went viral for being mocked online over how he drank water during the xAI hackathon, has now joined Elon Musk's AI company, xAI.
A photo from the event, showing participants intensely working, became widely shared after social media users zoomed in on Sendilraj and ridiculed his water-drinking posture. Responding to the online reaction, he had posted, "1 million people judged how I drink water. I was damn thirsty."
A week later, he shared a major update: he's officially joining xAI. Celebrating his new role, he tweeted, "1 week ago I got clipped for drinking water. Now I'm joining @xai to build the future of AI. Full circle moment," along with the now-viral image.
1 week ago I got clipped for drinking water.
— Vineeth Sendilraj (@VineethSendil) December 17, 2025
now I'm joining @xai to build the future of AI.
full circle moment. https://t.co/qF62WooTSJ pic.twitter.com/KXeVadujgb
The post was warmly received on social media, with several users sharing congratulatory messages. One user wrote, "Welcome to the team, congrats on winning the hackathon again. Can't wait to work with you." Another added, "The fact that you're working on Macrohard too, lmfao, welcome to the team!" A third clarified the viral moment, commenting, "You didn't get clipped for drinking water, you just happened to be drinking when someone took a photo. Congrats on joining xAI though."
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