How Shivon Zilis Operated as Elon Musk’s OpenAI Insider

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Maxwell Zeff Paresh Dave Business Apr 30, 2026 8:51 PM How Shivon Zilis Operated as Elon Musk’s OpenAI Insider Messages presented at trial reveal how Zilis, the mother of four of Musk's children, acted as an intermediary between him and OpenAI. Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story As the first week of trial in Musk v. Altman comes to a close, one person has emerged as a critical behind-the-scenes manager of communications and egos in OpenAI’s early years : Shivon Zilis.

A longtime employee of Musk and the mother to four of his children, Zilis first joined OpenAI as an advisor in 2016. She later served as a director of its nonprofit board from 2020 until 2023 and has also worked as an executive at Musk’s other companies, Neuralink and Tesla. When asked about the nature of his relationship with Zilis in court, Musk offered several answers.

Technical Details

At one point, he called her a “chief of staff. ” Later, a “close advisor. ” At another point, he said “we live together and she’s the mother of four of my children,” though Zilis said in a deposition that Musk is more of a regular guest and maintains his own residence.

Last September, Zilis told OpenAI’s attorneys that she became romantic with Musk around 2016 after she had become an informal advisor to OpenAI. They had their first two children in 2021, she said . But OpenAI’s lawyers have made the case in witness testimonies and evidence that her most important role, as it pertains to this lawsuit, is being a covert liaison between OpenAI and Musk, even years after he left the nonprofit’s board in February 2018.

“Do you prefer I stay close and friendly to OpenAI to keep info flowing or begin to disassociate? Trust game is about to get tricky so any guidance for how to do right by you is appreciated,” Zilis wrote in a text message to Musk on February 16, 2018, days before OpenAI announced he was leaving the board. Musk responded, “Close and friendly, but we are going to actively try to move three or four people from OpenAI to Tesla.

Industry Implications

More than that will join over time, but we won’t actively recruit them. ” When asked about this exchange on the witness stand, Musk said he “wanted to know what’s going on. ” In the same text thread, Musk said “there is little chance of OpenAI being a serious force if I focus on Tesla AI.

” Zilis reaffirmed him, saying: “There is very low probability of a good future if someone doesn’t slow Demis down,” referring to the leader of Google DeepMind, who Musk has said he didn’t trust to control a superintelligent AI system. “You don’t realize how much you have an ability to influence him directly or otherwise slow him down. I think you know I’m not a malicious person but in this case it feels fundamentally irresponsible to not find a way to slow or alter his path.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.