In the ongoing legal battle between Elon Musk and OpenAI, new evidence suggests that Shivon Zilis, a longtime executive at Musk's companies and the mother of four of his children, served as a secret liaison within OpenAI after Musk's departure from the nonprofit board in 2018. Court testimony from the Musk v. Altman trial reveals that Zilis provided Musk with internal updates on fundraising and corporate restructuring, acting as an intermediary between the two parties.
OpenAI's legal team argued that Zilis managed communications and high-level egos while advising both sides. Text messages from early 2018 show Zilis asking Musk if he wanted her to "stay close and friendly to keep information flowing," to which he agreed. Evidence also showed Sam Altman seeking Zilis's advice on how to handle tense interactions with Musk, highlighting her influence within both camps.
Musk concluded his testimony by accusing OpenAI's leadership of stealing a charity to create a for-profit business, though he admitted he placed no formal conditions on his $38 million in donations to prevent such a shift. The presiding judge expressed skepticism regarding the timing of the lawsuit, noting the irony of Musk launching his own for-profit AI competitor, xAI, shortly before filing the complaint. The trial is expected to continue next week with testimony from OpenAI president Greg Brockman.