Who Is Shivon Zilis? Meet AI Exec Who Had Elon Musk’s Children
Shivon Zilis is a Canadian-born technology leader and artificial intelligence expert. She is a director at Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer company. She is also the mother of three of Musk’s children.
Her name has recently appeared in headlines across the U.S. Many people are curious about her story. Who is she, and why is she connected to Elon Musk?
Shivon studied at Yale and later worked in finance and venture capital. She built her career in AI, joining OpenAI and later Neuralink. Today, she is seen as a rising voice in technology and innovation.
Zilis grew up in Ontario, Canada, and is a lifelong athlete
Shivon Zilis was born in 1986 in Markham, Ontario, a suburb just outside of Toronto. She grew up in Canada with a love for sports and a drive for excellence. At a young age, she discovered a passion for ice hockey, and when she attended Yale University, she joined the women’s ice hockey team as a goalie. Playing at such a competitive level gave her a foundation in discipline, teamwork, and resilience—qualities that would later define her approach to leadership and technology.
Zilis graduated from Yale in 2008 with a degree in economics and philosophy. This unusual combination of subjects gave her both analytical skills and an ability to think about broader ethical and societal issues. While she excelled academically, she was also known for her adventurous spirit. Photos from her now-deleted social media accounts once showed her surfing, zip-lining, and even ice climbing. This mix of intellectual curiosity and athletic determination shaped her into someone who was prepared to take on complex challenges, whether in finance, venture capital, or AI research.
She started her career in finance and venture capital
After college, Zilis began her professional journey at IBM, where she worked in financial technologies for three years. Her role exposed her to innovations that were transforming global finance, but she quickly realized her interests stretched far beyond traditional banking. She wanted to be at the cutting edge of emerging technology.
That opportunity came when she joined Bloomberg Beta, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the future of work, data, and machine learning. At Bloomberg Beta, Zilis was at the center of evaluating startups that were pushing the boundaries of AI. Her keen eye for identifying promising innovations earned her recognition, and in 2015, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Venture Capital. This was an early sign that she was becoming a rising star in the tech world.
Working in venture capital gave her exposure to hundreds of entrepreneurs and researchers, allowing her to see AI’s potential long before it became a mainstream topic of conversation. It was this experience that eventually brought her closer to Elon Musk’s network of companies and projects.
She’s passionate about artificial intelligence
Zilis’ interest in artificial intelligence started early. At just 12 or 13 years old, she came across the concept through the Spiritual Machines album by the Canadian rock band Our Lady Peace. The album was inspired by the futurist Ray Kurzweil’s book of the same name, and Zilis became fascinated with the possibilities of machines that could think, learn, and even surpass human intelligence. She later read Kurzweil’s work, which sparked her lifelong dedication to AI.
In her own words, Zilis has said, “AI’s going to be one of the fundamentally transformative technologies humanity creates, if not the most. And so we just need to make sure, from a humanity perspective, this goes well.” Her career choices reflect this belief. She joined OpenAI in 2016, a nonprofit co-founded by Musk and Sam Altman, where she became the youngest board member. OpenAI was created with a mission to ensure AI would benefit humanity as a whole rather than be monopolized by corporations or governments.
Zilis stayed with OpenAI until 2023, when she stepped down from the board, but her mark on the organization’s early years remains significant. During that time, she balanced her OpenAI work with growing responsibilities at Neuralink, Musk’s ambitious brain-computer interface company.
She has a high-level role at Neuralink
In 2017, Zilis joined Neuralink, where she quickly rose to the role of Director of Operations and Special Projects. Neuralink is one of Musk’s most futuristic ventures, aiming to create implantable brain chips that can help people with neurological conditions such as paralysis, memory loss, or spinal injuries. In the long run, Neuralink hopes to achieve what Musk calls “symbiosis” between humans and artificial intelligence, allowing people to keep pace with rapidly advancing technology.
Zilis has described Neuralink as the most “complicated but fascinating project” of her life. She has been instrumental in organizing its operations, leading teams, and keeping the company moving forward despite technical and regulatory hurdles. In January 2024, Neuralink announced its first successful human implant, a milestone in which Zilis played a behind-the-scenes role. For her, the company is not only about cutting-edge technology but about ensuring that humanity remains in control of the tools it creates.
Zilis and Musk share a love for fantasy and gaming
Like Musk, Zilis has a deep appreciation for gaming and fantasy worlds. In 2022, she shared her thoughts on social media about how “a visually rich and dynamic world can live and come alive on a laptop”, calling it magical that such experiences are now taken for granted.
She has been particularly vocal about her love for the game Elden Ring, a fantasy role-playing game co-created by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. Zilis even posted images of talismans from the game, clarifying that they were not religious symbols but personal reminders of priorities she valued in both gaming and real life. Musk, too, is known for his late-night gaming sessions, sometimes staying up until dawn to play Elden Ring. Their shared passion for gaming and science fiction reflects a broader theme in both their lives: the belief that imagination, creativity, and play are essential to innovation and progress.
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Zilis has defended Musk from critics
Zilis is not only Musk’s colleague and the mother of three of his children, but also one of his most vocal supporters. In 2020, when Musk clashed with the state of California over COVID-19 lockdown rules, a California politician publicly tweeted “F* Elon Musk.”** Zilis responded with disappointment, writing, “No one’s perfect but I’ve never met anyone who goes through more personal pain to fight for an inspiring future for humanity—and has done so tirelessly for decades.”
Her public defense of Musk showed her loyalty and respect for him, not only as an entrepreneur but as a visionary. This loyalty is part of what has made her such a trusted member of his inner circle.
Personal Life: Shivon Zilis and Elon Musk’s Children
The most publicized part of Shivon Zilis’ story came in 2022, when court documents revealed that she and Musk had quietly welcomed twins in November 2021. Then, in 2024, Bloomberg reported that the pair had also welcomed a third child. The twins’ names were changed to include both Musk’s last name and Zilis’ as part of their middle names, reflecting a shared parental identity.
Zilis purchased a house in Austin, Texas, in 2021, near Tesla’s Gigafactory, and Musk has spent significant time there despite claiming to live in a small prefabricated home near SpaceX’s facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. Their family arrangement gained further attention because of Musk’s other children. Musk has 11 known children, including five with his first wife Justine Wilson, three with the musician Grimes (Claire Boucher), and now three with Zilis.
At first, Grimes expressed frustration at not being told about Musk and Zilis’ twins until the news broke publicly. But by late 2023, Grimes and Zilis had reconciled, with Grimes writing online, “This wasn’t her fault, please don’t be angry at her. We respect each other a lot and we’re excited to become friends and have the kids grow up together.” This moment underscored how complex Musk’s personal life has become and how Zilis now plays a central role in it.
Shivon Zilis: From Canada to Silicon Valley
Shivon Zilis was born in Markham, Ontario, Canada, where her love for sports and academics shaped her early life. She became a standout athlete, playing goalie for Yale’s women’s ice hockey team. At Yale, she earned a degree in economics and philosophy, blending logical problem-solving with deep critical thinking. This background prepared her for complex careers.
Her Canadian upbringing gave her both discipline and curiosity. As she transitioned into the world of technology and finance, she carried with her lessons from sports about resilience and focus. Moving from Ontario to the fast-paced tech scene of Silicon Valley, Zilis demonstrated how talent from outside traditional tech hubs can thrive on a global stage and gain influence.
The Role of AI in Shivon Zilis’ Career
Artificial intelligence has been the central theme of Shivon Zilis’ professional life. Inspired as a teenager by futurist Ray Kurzweil, she pursued AI not just as a career, but as a mission to ensure technology benefits humanity. Her time at Bloomberg Beta allowed her to evaluate early-stage AI startups, giving her insight into the power and risks of machine learning.
Zilis later joined OpenAI, serving as the youngest board member. There, she worked to guide responsible AI development alongside figures like Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Her career reflects a consistent passion for ensuring AI unfolds in a safe and beneficial way, positioning her as one of the most influential women shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
Neuralink and the Future of Brain Technology
At Neuralink, Zilis has played a crucial role in operations and strategy. The company is building implantable brain-computer interfaces with the goal of treating neurological disorders and eventually connecting humans directly to AI. Zilis has called Neuralink the most complicated yet fascinating project she has ever worked on, highlighting its potential to transform healthcare and human evolution.
The short-term goal is helping patients with paralysis or spinal cord injuries regain independence. The long-term vision involves achieving “symbiosis” between humans and AI. For Zilis, Neuralink represents a bridge between science fiction and reality. By guiding such a project, she sits at the crossroads of medicine, technology, and ethics, where innovation meets the responsibility to protect humanity’s future.
Shivon Zilis and Elon Musk’s Family Connection
In 2021, Shivon Zilis quietly welcomed twins with Elon Musk, later revealed through court filings. In 2024, reports confirmed they had a third child. These children joined Musk’s already large family, sparking widespread media attention. Despite the public interest, Zilis has remained private, focusing more on her career and AI projects than on personal publicity or controversy.
Their relationship highlights Musk’s complex personal life, as he now has eleven known children with three different women. Zilis has managed to balance being a Neuralink executive with motherhood, showing that her influence extends beyond technology. While many focus on her family connection to Musk, her legacy is increasingly tied to her leadership in artificial intelligence and frontier science.
Conclusion
So, who is Shivon Zilis? She is far more than just the Neuralink executive who had Elon Musk’s children. She is a Canadian-born AI expert with a sharp mind, a decorated career in venture capital, and a leadership role in some of the most advanced technology projects in the world. Her passion for artificial intelligence, her role at Neuralink, and her influence in Musk’s circle make her one of the most interesting figures in the tech world today.
For U.S. audiences watching the rapid rise of AI, Zilis represents the new generation of leaders who are shaping not only how technology evolves but also how it will affect the lives of billions of people in the years to come.
