Why Indian-Origin VC Shivon Zilis Is At The Centre Of The Elon Musk vs OpenAI Trial

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Elon Musk vs OpenAI case has already seen a lot of interesting twists and turns in its first week of trial itself. However, a name repeatedly surfaced during the court proceedings: Shivon Zilis. Musk was quite unsure about Zilis during his sworn ceremony and initially called her ‘chief of staff’. However, a day later, Musk knew he did not present a clear answer in court and revealed that he lives with Zilis and she is the mother of his four children. Notably, it is Zilis’ professional overlap with Musk and OpenAI that is now under fire in court.

Who Is Shivon Zilis?

Zilis, 40, is the mother of four of Musk’s children. She was born in Canada to a Punjabi Indian mother and a Canadian father. She studied at Yale University and played ice hockey. Her career majorly involves artificial intelligence. She has worked at IBM’s cognitive computing division and later became a founding member of Bloomberg Beta, which is a venture capital company focused on future technologies. At the age of 30, she gained recognition in the tech world after being included in Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ list in 2015. Zilis started working with OpenAI in 2016 as an adviser. She later joined the non-profit board, where she served until 2023. During the same time, she grew closer to the Tesla CEO personally and professionally. She also worked at Tesla between 2017 and 2019 and later went on to take a senior role at Musk’s Neuralink. This is how she stayed connected with Musk’s companies and OpenAI during a critical phase. At the centre of the high-stakes trial is the xAI chief’s claim that OpenAI shifted from its original non-profit mission toward a profit-driven model. As per courtroom documents and messages presented during the hearing, Zilis might have acted as a crucial link between OpenAI and Musk even after he had left its board in 2018. In one of the messages, she reportedly asked Musk whether she should remain friendly with OpenAI to keep the information flowing. The xAI chief is said to have encouraged her to stay closer to OpenAI leadership and maintain connections.

Zilis’ Role At Trial

Messages showcased in the court suggest that Zilis was involved in discussions with top AI executives, including Altman. She is believed to share those updates and pass those to Musk. In one of the exchanges, when she reportedly conveyed OpenAI leaders’ concerns about centralised control over AGI, Musk reacted strongly and mentioned they would start a separate company. Moreover, it has also been reported that Altman reached out to her on several occasions, seeking advice on how to respond to Musk. Zillis is not just a close connection to Musk; her proximity to both tech moguls during the crucial moments has made her an important witness. Her account is expected to clarify what has really happened behind the scenes during one of the tech industry’s most closely watched lawsuits.