Who is Shivon Zilis, the tech executive Elon Musk reportedly split from?

Shivon Zilis, a technology executive who shares four children with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, announced on October 2 that Musk had ended their relationship, saying the separation had come with little warning.

“It’s hard to go from in love to let go in a week with no warning, but that’s just how it is sometimes,” Zilis wrote on social media platform X.

It’s hard to go from in love to let go in a week with no warning, but that’s just how it is sometimes 🤷🏻‍♀️

I feel happy that I got to show Elon how it feels to be deeply understood, nurtured, and peacefully loved with stability and gentleness. Given the tumultuous nature of his… https://t.co/HAOfjxrIig pic.twitter.com/lgL0GVzD2R

— Shivon Zilis (@shivon) October 2, 2026

In her statement, Zilis said she was hurt by the breakup but continued to care deeply for Musk. She also shared screenshots of recent text messages between the two, including an exchange in which they expressed affection for each other on September 24.

Who is Shivon Zilis?

Zilis is a technology executive specialising in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Originally from Ontario, Canada, she studied economics and philosophy at Yale University, where she also played as a goalkeeper on the university’s ice hockey team.

She began her career at IBM and Bloomberg before leading the venture capital firm Bloomberg Beta. In 2016, she joined OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company co-founded by Musk, and later became the youngest member of its board. She stepped down in March 2023.

Zilis joined Neuralink, Musk’s brain-computer interface company, in 2017. She currently serves as its director of special projects and joined the board of defence technology company Shield AI in September 2023.

How did she meet Elon Musk?

Zilis and Musk became connected through their work in the technology sector, including at OpenAI. Their personal relationship later became public through reports about the birth of their children.

According to a biography of Musk by journalist Walter Isaacson, Zilis had initially considered having children with an anonymous sperm donor before Musk offered to donate sperm himself.

“He really wants smart people to have kids, so he encouraged me to do this,” she said, according to the biography.

How many children do they have?

The former couple share four children: twins Strider and Azure, born in November 2021; daughter Arcadia, born in February 2024; and son Seldon, whose birth was announced in 2025.

Musk has 10 other children with different partners, according to the report.

What did Zilis say about the breakup?

In her announcement, Zilis described the relationship’s end as painful but expressed continued support for Musk.

“I’m hurting, but care deeply about E and will always be cheering for his happiness,” she wrote, adding that she would continue to wish him well.

She also described the home she shared with their children as a place of happiness and emotional support for Musk, contrasting it with the pressures of his professional and political life.

“We were always his safe space,” she wrote.

Musk’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to People magazine.