Shivon Zilis Clears the Air Around Her Relationship With Elon Musk
Business Insider • • general
Key Points:
- Former OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis testified in the Musk v Altman trial, revealing a previously secret romantic relationship with Elon Musk and their co-parenting of four children, including twins whose paternity was initially kept confidential.
- Zilis disclosed that Musk offered to donate sperm around 2020-2021, leading to their decision to have children together, and they maintain a close family relationship despite keeping the twins' parentage private due to security concerns.
- The paternity of the twins was exposed after Business Insider obtained sealed court documents, prompting Zilis to inform OpenAI's board, which decided to retain her membership despite the revelation.
- Zilis denied that her personal relationship with Musk influenced her role on OpenAI's board and refuted claims that she shared confidential OpenAI licensing information with Musk between 2021 and 2023.
- Text messages from 2018 show Zilis coordinating with Musk about maintaining a close relationship with OpenAI and facilitating talent movement to Tesla, with CEO Sam Altman's knowledge and approval at the time, though Zilis ceased acting as an information conduit to Musk after joining the board in 2020.
