• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup

3

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
TechElon Musk

Katie Miller—who left Trump’s White House with Elon Musk—surfaces at xAI

By
Jessica Mathews
Jessica Mathews
Former Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jessica Mathews
Jessica Mathews
Former Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 3, 2025, 1:42 PM ET
Katie Miller was a key advisor to Elon Musk during his time at DOGE. Now she's doing work for Musk's xAI.
Katie Miller was a key advisor to Elon Musk during his time at DOGE. Now she's doing work for Musk's xAI.Al Drago—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

On Wednesday evening, Elon Musk’s xAI sent a rare email to reporters—alerting them that it had received a much-anticipated permit to use gas-powered turbines at its Memphis data center despite blowback from the surrounding community about pollution.

Recommended Video

The notice was unusual. For one, it’s rare for xAI—the company that includes X, formerly Twitter, or any of Musk’s other wide array of ventures—to ever engage with the media. Musk famously disbanded the media relations teams across all of his companies years ago, and they now only communicate with the public via social media posts and retain full control of the narrative. xAI has repeatedly ignored reporters’ questions, including from Fortune, about its operations in Memphis and its use of generators that critics say spew toxic pollution. 

But there was something else unusual about the email: It was from Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff.

Katie Miller, a seasoned political operative and communications manager, was among Musk’s highest-profile allegiants while he was a White House advisor and de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump’s Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has credited Katie Miller as “a critical reason DOGE was able to get off the ground.” But as the alliance between Trump and Musk frayed, Katie Miller exited the White House at the end of May, reportedly to work full-time for Musk at his various ventures, according to CNN. Stephen and Katie Miller have not spoken publicly about her departure from the White House, nor her work with Musk.

Katie Miller’s departure from the White House set off a wave of palace intrigue over the fact that Stephen Miller remained with Trump while Katie now worked for his estranged cost-cutter in-chief. The relationship between Trump and Musk has only gotten worse since Katie Miller left, with Musk recently threatening to fund a rival political party to the Republicans while Trump has raised the possibility of retaliating against Musk’s companies and taking a “look” at deporting him. 

xAI has, evidently, become one of Katie Miller’s areas of focus. The email she sent on Wednesday came from her xAI email address, and Miller’s account on X has featured news and updates about xAI, including its new permit, in addition to posts about Tesla and statements criticizing media outlets.

In Katie Miller’s email to reporters, she provided information about evaluations of pollution that regulators had conducted at xAI’s supercomputer site in Memphis. She also included a rare statement from xAI about the new permit that had been issued by the Shelby County Health Department.

“xAI welcomes today’s decision by the Shelby County Health Department,” she wrote. “Our onsite power generation will be equipped with state-of-the-art emissions control technology, making this facility the lowest emitting of its kind in the country. We look forward to being a valued partner to the Memphis Community for years to come.”

Katie Miller also sent at least one other email to reporters at the end of June, pointing out that the City of Memphis had conducted an independent third-party study at sites near the xAI data center and had found no dangerous pollutant levels.

Miller didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s questions about the nature of her work with xAI and whether she was working with any of Musk’s other companies, which include Tesla and SpaceX.

About the Author
By Jessica MathewsFormer Senior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jessica Mathews is a former senior writer for Fortune, where she covered transportation, defense tech, and Elon Musk’s companies.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Citi, Ford, and Experian share their strategies for scaling AI agents
C-SuiteBrainstorm Tech
Citi, Ford, and Experian share their strategies for scaling AI agents
By Alexei OreskovicJune 16, 2026
6 hours ago
Vietnam has to find $200 billion to fund its ambitious growth agenda. Techcombank’s CEO thinks that has to come from overseas
BankingAsia Agenda
Vietnam has to find $200 billion to fund its ambitious growth agenda. Techcombank’s CEO thinks that has to come from overseas
By Angelica AngJune 16, 2026
8 hours ago
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei speaking into a microphone.
NewslettersEye on AI
Decision on Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos models means the U.S. has a licensing regime for frontier AI—it just doesn’t want to admit it
By Jeremy KahnJune 16, 2026
9 hours ago
Exclusive: PayPal winds down venture arm as fintech giant restructures under new CEO
Startups & VenturePayPal Holdings
Exclusive: PayPal winds down venture arm as fintech giant restructures under new CEO
By Ben WeissJune 16, 2026
9 hours ago
‘Making China the elephant in the room’: The G7 confronts its reliance on U.S. AI and Chinese energy supply chains, experts say
EuropeAnthropic
‘Making China the elephant in the room’: The G7 confronts its reliance on U.S. AI and Chinese energy supply chains, experts say
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 16, 2026
10 hours ago
elon musk poses while wearing a suit
AISpaceX
SpaceX’ surging stock paid for the $60 billion Cursor acquisition in just a few hours of trading—and it reveals Elon Musk’s new power
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 16, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
16 hours ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
AI
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 16, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.