Overview
- OpenAI’s lawyers told the court that Shivon Zilis acted as a covert liaison to Elon Musk after he left OpenAI’s board in 2018, citing internal messages and emails entered into evidence.
- In one 2018 exchange shown in court, Zilis asked if she should stay close to OpenAI to keep information flowing, and Musk urged her to remain close while suggesting moving some OpenAI staff to Tesla.
- Musk testified that he and Zilis live together and that she is the mother of four of his children after first calling her his “chief of staff” in an earlier courtroom moment.
- Reporting and court filings describe Zilis sharing updates and fielding messages from OpenAI leaders, including Sam Altman texting her for advice in 2022 and early 2023.
- Zilis, who advised OpenAI and later sat on its board while holding roles at Tesla and Neuralink, is a key witness in Musk’s suit alleging OpenAI drifted from its nonprofit mission toward profit.