Meet Shivon Zilis: AI executive, mother of twins with Elon Musk, and her Indian connection
AI executive behind Neuralink is a key figure in shaping the future of technology
Shivon Zilis isn’t just an AI expert — she’s a Neuralink executive, a former Tesla project director, and, the mother of Elon Musk’s twins.
But there’s more to her story than just her high-profile connection.
Brains, bots, and breakthroughs
Zilis is considered part of the AI royalty: She has worked on Tesla’s Autopilot, OpenAI, and Neuralink, shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
She is recognied by Forbes ("30 Under 30") for her impact in AI and venture capital.
Zilis, a Yale graduate and a former hockey goalie, holds degrees in economics and philosophy, proving she can outthink and outskate the competition.
Zilis, 38, is listed as Director of Operations and Special Projects at Neuralink, a company Musk co-founded.
In June last year, People reported that Zilis and the Tesla CEO (now DOGE's top executive) welcomed twins, son Strider and daughter Azure, in 2021. They then confirmed the birth of their third child in 2024.
Mum of Elon Musk's twins
In 2022, they reportedly requested a name change so the twins would have Musk's last name and Zilis’s last name as a middle name, which a Texas judge approved in May.
Musk is reportedly a father to nine other children with different partners.
IVF and parenthood
Twins via IVF: Zilis and Musk welcomed twins in 2021, Strider and Azure, through in-vitro fertilisation.
Not romantic, just revolutionary: Their relationship is professional, built on shared ideas about AI and the future of humanity.
Grimes & Zilis: From feud to friendship: Despite past tensions, Zilis and Musk’s other co-parent, Grimes, are now on good terms and excited for their kids to grow up together.
Musk has 12 children with three different women: He has three children with singer Grimes and five with ex-wife Justine Wilson. Musk previously described his relationship with Grimes as "semi-separated."
Zilis isn’t just another name in tech — she’s one of the brains behind Bloomberg Beta, an early-stage venture capital fund backed by Bloomberg LP. She's also one of Musk's biggest supporters.
If you’re running a business, it has to be financially sustainable to scale and be effective through time, but [Elon] was never interested in anything, no matter how lucrative, unless it was of existential relevance to our species.Shivon Zilis
What makes her really stand out? She’s a specialist in one of the hottest, most game-changing fields of our time: machine learning.
Think big data, AI, and self-driving cars — the tech that’s shaping the future. IBM’s Watson, the supercomputer that killed Jeopardy like a trivia overlord, was in her wheelhouse too. It's no wonder that the AI tech boom has her on its VIP list.
Innovation meets parenthood
Zilis currently leads at Neuralink, pushing boundaries in brain-computer interfaces.
Biographer Walter Isaacson describes her as Musk’s go-to for AI discussions, an "AI companion".
Workplace ethics debate
Their intertwined professional and personal lives have sparked conversations about workplace dynamics, though Zilis remains focused on innovation.
Indian heritage
Zilis has Indian heritage through her mother. She was born and raised in Markham, Ontario, Canada, to a Punjabi Indian mother and a Canadian father.
Zilis once told USA Today in interview: “I just got the big eyes from the Punjabi side".
Her background adds to the diverse representation of Indian-origin leaders in the global tech industry.
It turns out Shivon Zilis is far more than just “Musk’s co-parent.”
She’s an AI leader, a strategic thinker, and a key player in shaping the future of technology. Whether in the boardroom or raising the next generation of innovators, she’s redefining what it means to break barriers.
Sign up for the Daily Briefing
Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox
