Shivon Zilis, mother of Musk's children, testifies in OpenAI trial
What's the story
Shivon Zilis, an executive at Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink and the mother of four of his children, testified in the ongoing OpenAI trial. The case revolves around Musk's allegations against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman for breaking a founding agreement by changing the company from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.
Trial proceedings
Musk's allegations and OpenAI's defense
Musk accuses Altman and Brockman of self-enrichment and seeks their removal from the start-up. He also wants the for-profit transition reversed and $134 billion in damages redistributed to OpenAI's non-profit arm. However, OpenAI has denied all allegations, claiming Musk was always in favor of the for-profit shift. The company's lawyers have argued that Musk left after a failed control bid in 2018 and is now seeking revenge due to OpenAI's success.
Testimony details
Zilis's ties to OpenAI and Musk
A Yale graduate, Zilis joined OpenAI as an adviser in 2016, where she first connected with Musk. By mid-2017, she had transitioned to roles at his companies, Tesla and Neuralink. Between 2020 and 2023, Zilis served as OpenAI's youngest board member. During her testimony, she faced intense questioning regarding her relationship with Musk and whether she served as his "informant" following his 2018 departure from the organization.
Communication
Zilis and Musk's communication under scanner
"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 on how to do right by you is appreciated," Zilis texted Musk in 2018, according to filings. "Close and friendly, but we are going to actively try to move three or four people from OpenAI to Tesla. More than that will join over time, but we won't actively recruit them," Musk responded.
OpenAI relations
Zilis initially supported shift toward a for-profit arm
Zilis maintained a positive rapport with OpenAI's leadership, evidenced by a 2023 text from Altman seeking her advice on managing his relationship with Musk, specifically asking, "BTW, good idea for me to tweet something nice about Elon?" In her testimony, Zilis described OpenAI's early years as a fluid period defined by debates over the organization's structure. She said that she initially supported a for-profit entity and the multi-billion-dollar Microsoft investment, believing such resources were vital to fulfilling OpenAI's original mission.
Key link
'My role historically had been to facilitate communication'
Following Musk's 2018 departure from OpenAI, Zilis acted as a mediator during their "tricky half-breakup." "They were kind of bad at speaking to each other," she said. "My role historically had been to facilitate communication between all of the major parties to make a maximal alignment between them." Despite her close ties to Musk, Zilis dismissed allegations that she acted as an informant during her tenure, rejecting claims that she "funneled" confidential information to him while serving on OpenAI's board.