Sudden separation after five years

Shivon Zilis, a director at Neuralink and the mother of four of Elon Musk's children, announced on Friday that Musk abruptly ended their five-year relationship. Writing in an extended statement on X, the 40-year-old executive stated that the split occurred without warning only days after the pair exchanged affectionate messages. Zilis explained that moving from mutual affection to letting go within a single week was difficult, though she expressed gratitude for their time together and their four children. The announcement followed reports from tracking account Big Tech Alert and The Times that Musk had unfollowed Zilis on his social media platform. Musk has not released a public statement regarding the breakup.

It is hard to go from being in love to letting go in a week without warning, but sometimes that is how it is.

Family milestones and private life

Zilis and Musk met in 2016 through OpenAI, where Zilis worked as an advisor before joining the board in 2020. Their personal relationship developed over five years and produced four children through in vitro fertilisation after Musk offered his sperm in 2020. The couple had twins Strider and Azure in November 2021, followed by daughter Arcadia in 2024 and son Seldon Lycurgus in 2025. In her statement, Zilis reflected on creating a peaceful domestic environment for Musk away from his demanding public and corporate responsibilities. She described their home as a safe refuge filled with love rather than conflict, providing Musk a necessary break from his intense professional routine to recharge before returning to work.

Professional collaboration and legal proceedings

Beyond their private relationship, Zilis worked across several commercial ventures connected to Musk, holding advisory and executive roles at Tesla, OpenAI, and Neuralink. She stepped down from OpenAI's board in 2023, the same year Musk established rival artificial intelligence startup xAI. In May, Zilis gave testimony during the legal battle between Musk and OpenAI leadership, including co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Musk brought the lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its original non-profit objective of advancing artificial intelligence for humanity's benefit in pursuit of commercial profit. During that litigation, details regarding Musk and Zilis's decision to start a family through IVF in 2020 were formally placed into the legal record.

I loved him more than life itself and he taught me a hundred lifetimes of knowledge and filled my cup with life meaning, so there is a great sense of loss, but thankfully we created four beautiful little loves of my life.

Final exchanges and co-parenting commitment

The breakup followed friendly private exchanges between the two, including text messages on 24 September. After a shared breakfast, Zilis sent a message expressing love, to which Musk replied affirmatively while apologizing for not taking her to a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping. Musk wrote that he had not realized other technology executives, such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, had brought their partners. On 27 September, Zilis published a brief post reading "New day, new life" on X, days before issuing her full announcement. Published counts place Musk's total number of children between 12 and 14 across four women, including three with Canadian musician Grimes and one with Ashley St. Clair. Zilis concluded her statement by wishing Musk well and stating that she hopes they will maintain an enduring friendship while co-parenting their four children.