xAI to Staff: “Install Monitoring Software or... Well, Just Do It.”

[AIcash]

So here’s a tech tale straight from the “we’re totally not spying on you, we promise” department:

According to Business Insider, xAI (yep, the Elon-backed company behind Grok) has asked some of its remote workforce — specifically those training the Grok AI on personal laptops — to install Hubstaff, a workplace activity monitoring tool. Deadline? July 11, 2025.
Who’s affected?

Only folks using their own computers. If you’ve got a company-issued laptop, or one’s on the way, you’re off the hook — for now.
What’s Hubstaff do?

Aside from logging time, Hubstaff also:

Tracks app and link usage

Takes screenshots

Monitors mouse movement and keystrokes (yes, seriously)

xAI claims they’re only using it during working hours to “understand productivity” and “streamline workflows.” But not everyone’s buying that...
Privacy concerns? Oh, big time.

Internal Slack convos reviewed by BI show that some team members are very uncomfortable. One reportedly said he’d rather quit than install it, calling the whole thing “surveillance disguised as productivity” and “manipulation sold as culture.”

Oof.
Can you opt out?

Sort of. xAI offered alternatives:

Use a $50/month "tech stipend" to buy a separate work computer

Create two user profiles (work/personal) on your machine

Also worth noting: xAI apparently ran out of corporate Chromebooks right before announcing the Hubstaff requirement. Convenient timing? You decide.
Bonus monitoring: Not just Hubstaff

xAI is also reportedly using:

Rippling (for time tracking)

Starfleet (their in-house tool for tracking what employees do on-site and how long it takes)

So yeah… the robots aren’t watching you (yet), but your employer definitely is.

Would you install the tracker or walk? Curious what the rest of the forum thinks about this trend. 🧠

[EmTeam]

This really highlights the tension between productivity tracking and basic trust. I understand companies want accountability, but full-blown surveillance crosses a line for a lot of people. If you have to monitor keystrokes to measure work, maybe there’s a deeper management problem

[Blobby]

Nothing says ‘we value you’ like screenshots of your screen every 5 minutes. Honestly, this feels like corporate overreach disguised as efficiency. I’d probably start polishing my resume rather than install that.

[alex65]

Hard choice. On one hand, xAI is offering options to separate personal and work data, which is something. But on the other hand, this level of tracking inevitably erodes trust and morale. Long term, it could end up costing more in turnover than it saves in oversight.