OpenAI · Elon Musk · Sam Altman · Tesla · Donald Trump · xAI · NBC News Tech
Mother of four of Musk’s children, Shivon Zilis, takes the stand at OpenAI trial
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OAKLAND, Calif., Shivon Zilis, a longtime adviser to tech billionaire Elon Musk who also is the mother of four of his children, took the witness stand Wednesday in a trial that has given a rare glimpse into some of Silicon Valley’s complicated relationships.
Key facts
She left the OpenAI board in 2023, after Musk started a competitor AI company, xAI, and has also worked at Musk’s brain science startup, Neuralink, and at Tesla, where Musk is CEO
At an earlier stage in the lawsuit in 2024, Zilis was a plaintiff alongside Musk in the claims against Altman and Brockman
In February, she was photographed holding Musk’s hand as they arrived at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s Florida club
Brockman testified Tuesday that he and Zilis had been friends at least since 2013
Summary
Zilis fits into the case in multiple ways. During initial questioning from a Musk lawyer, Zilis was asked about both her board service and her relationship with Musk. She described a complicated relationship with Musk. It began, she said, with “a one-off” at a corporate off-site event. She said, though, that their relationship did not affect her decisions as an OpenAI board member.