Shivon Zilis Elon Musk’s Partner has captured public attention after the Tesla CEO revealed she is of half-Indian descent. During a podcast interview with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath on the show ‘People by WTF’, Musk shared personal details about his partner and their family. He explained that Zilis was given up for adoption as a baby and grew up in Canada. Furthermore, Musk disclosed that one of their sons carries the middle name “Sekhar” as a tribute to Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the renowned Indian-American astrophysicist.
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his groundbreaking theoretical studies on star structure and evolution. Musk’s decision to honor this legendary scientist demonstrates his appreciation for scientific excellence. When asked about Zilis’s connection to India, Musk mentioned that her biological father was likely an exchange student at a university. However, he admitted he doesn’t know the exact details of her adoption story.
Musk and Zilis share four children together: twins Strider and Azure, daughter Arcadia, and son Seldon Lycurgus. The couple maintains a relatively private personal life despite Musk’s high public profile. Additionally, Zilis plays a significant role in Musk’s business empire as director of operations. And special projects at Neuralink, his neurotechnology company.
Born in 1986 in Ontario, Canada, Zilis holds dual citizenship in both Canada and the United States. She attended Yale University, where she studied economics and philosophy, graduating in 2008. During her time at Yale, she demonstrated athletic prowess by playing goalkeeper for the Yale Bulldogs women’s ice hockey team. Moreover, she attempted to join the university’s fencing team, showcasing her competitive spirit.
After graduation, Zilis began her career at IBM before moving to Bloomberg Beta, the venture capital arm of Bloomberg LP. There, she specialized in early-stage investments in machine intelligence and became a founding member. Her innovative work in artificial intelligence earned her recognition when Forbes named her to its prestigious “30 Under 30” list in 2015 in the venture capital category.
In 2016, Zilis joined OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research organization co-founded by Elon Musk. Notably, she became the youngest member of OpenAI’s board of directors, serving until March 2023. She met Musk during her time at OpenAI, which eventually led to her involvement with his other ventures, including Neuralink and Tesla.
Zilis joined Neuralink in 2017, where she leads early development and operational strategy for the company’s brain-machine interface technology. This groundbreaking work aims to connect human brains directly with computers. Subsequently, in September 2023, she expanded her professional portfolio by joining the board of Shield AI. A defense technology company focused on artificial intelligence for aircraft.
She also served as a fellow at the University of Toronto’s Creative Destruction Lab, where she advised startups focused on deep tech and AI. Her extensive experience in artificial intelligence and venture capital makes her a valuable asset to Musk’s various enterprises.
Shivon Zilis Elon Musk’s Partner continues balancing her demanding professional responsibilities with raising their four children, demonstrating remarkable capability in both personal and professional spheres.
