The ongoing legal battle between Elon Musk and OpenAI has brought attention to Shivon Zilis.
Her name came up during Musk’s testimony in court, where he initially referred to her as his “chief of staff” before later clarifying that they live together and she is the mother of his
Who is Shivon Zilis?
Shivon Zilis is a 40-year-old tech professional from Canada. She has Indian roots from her Punjabi mother. She studied at Yale University and started her career in technology.
She worked at IBM and later moved into investment and artificial intelligence work. In 2015, she was included in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list.
What is her connection with Elon Musk?
Shivon Zilis has worked closely with Elon Musk for many years. She worked at Tesla on important projects and later joined Neuralink.
Musk has said in court that they live together and have four children.
What is her link to OpenAI?
Zilis joined OpenAI around 2016 as an adviser and later became part of its nonprofit board. She stayed connected to the organisation until 2023.
This was also the time when Musk stepped away from OpenAI’s board.
Why is she important in this case?
The case is about Musk’s claim that OpenAI changed from a non-profit to a profit-making company.
Messages shown in court suggest that Shivon Zilis stayed in touch with both Musk and OpenAI. She may have helped share information and keep communication going between the two sides.
Because she was close to both, her role is now important in understanding what happened.
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