OpenAI · Elon Musk · Sam Altman · Tesla · xAI · California · BBC Technology
Former OpenAI board member confirms Elon Musk offered her sperm donations
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A former OpenAI board member has explained how her unconventional personal relationship with Elon Musk evolved into having four of his children.
Key facts
- Given Zilis's role across Musk's companies and OpenAI, eventually becoming a director at OpenAI from 2020 to 2023, she is an important witness in the trial
- Zilis has worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley for over 15 years and held executive positions at Musk's car company, Tesla, and his neurotechnology firm Neuralink
- Zilis said the confidentiality agreement with Musk is why she did not disclose to OpenAI's chief executive Sam Altman that twins she gave birth to in 2021 were fathered by Musk
- OpenAI lawyers have suggested that she funnelled information about OpenAI to Musk after he in 2018 left the AI company, which he co-founded and made early donations
Summary
Shivon Zilis testified in a federal courtroom in Oakland, California for hours on Wednesday as part of Musk's lawsuit trying to reverse OpenAI's change to a for-profit company. The focus of Zilis's appearance was her direct involvement in early talks with Musk around the company becoming a for-profit, but also how she worked for and became involved with Musk as she advised OpenAI. "I still wanted to be a mum and Elon made the offer around that time and I accepted," she said, explaining Musk in 2020 had offered to donate sperm. "He was encouraging everyone around him at that time to have kids and he'd noticed the reporter did not.