Elon Musk Wanted OpenAI Inside Tesla? Here’s What His Partner Told The Court

In

the high-stakes courtroom drama, Elon Musk’s partner Shivon Zilis testified in court on Wednesday. During the hearing, Zilis denied accusations that she passed information to Musk while serving on OpenAI’s board, as per The Wall Street Journal. This case is a part of the Tesla CEO’s lawsuit against OpenAI and its top leaders, where he alleges that the AI firm is moving toward a for-profit model, leaving its original nonprofit mission behind.

Here’s What Zilis Said

According to the WSJ, Zilis testified in court that she had an allegiance to the best outcome for AI for humanity. OpenAI lawyers argued that Zilis was close to Musk and acted as his representative inside the company. They alleged she did not tell that Musk was the father of her twins while she served on OpenAI's board. While Zilis maintained her stance that she acted independently, even though she worked at Tesla and Neuralink. Zilis met Musk through OpenAI in 2016, and she was offered a role at the company, but she joined as an adviser. The Indian-origin venture capitalist became a member of OpenAI’s board after Musk had stepped away from donating to the organisation.

Did Musk Want OpenAI To Merge With Tesla?

Reportedly, Zilis testified that Musk was suggesting bringing OpenAI under Tesla. As per Zillis, there were several ideas being discussed at the time about OpenAI's future structure. She stated in the court, “There were a zillion possible structures,” adding that one proposal from Musk was to make OpenAI a part of Tesla.She revealed that Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever and Sam Altman did not support this idea and declined to join Tesla. Moreover, she mentioned Musk was worried OpenAI and Tesla would compete for AI researchers. Just before leaving OpenAI’s board in 2018, the xAI chief reportedly recruited a top OpenAI researcher to Tesla.

Zilis’ Relationship With Musk

During the trial, Zilis revealed details on her relationship with Musk. She reportedly suggested Musk offered to help her have children in 2020 by donating sperm because he believed people should have more children. She noted she kept the Musk's paternity private to protect their children from security risks. Musk also confirmed earlier during a hearing that he lives with Zilis. He publicly referred to her as his ‘partner’.

What Lies Ahead

Musk seeks major changes through the lawsuit. He wants Brockman and Altman to be removed from the leadership roles, and he also asked for damages worth up to $180 billion connected to OpenAI’s for-profit business. This case could lead to wider implications for the future of OpenAI and its AI products. Notably, it raises serious questions about how companies that are developing advanced AI should balance public good and profit.