Shivon Zilis’ age, parents, husband, kids, net worth

Shivon Zilis’ bio drew global interest when news broke that she gave birth to twins with Elon Musk in November 2021 despite keeping her pregnancy out of the public eye. Originally from Canada, she is a respected AI researcher, tech executive, and venture capitalist. Her ties to Musk and the secrecy surrounding their children have made her famous.

Key takeaways

• She is a mix of Punjabi-Indian and Canadian heritage.
• Shivon is a Yale grad and former Yale hockey goalie.
• Her career spans IBM, Bloomberg Beta, Tesla, OpenAI, and Neuralink.
• She is the mother of four children with Elon Musk.
• Her estimated net worth is between $5 million - $15 million.

Profile summary

Shivon Zilis’ bio

Shivon Zilis was born in Markham, Ontario, Canada. She is of mixed heritage and is the only child. She was raised in a multicultural environment that shaped her diverse perspective.

What is Shivon Zilis’ age?

She is 38 years old as of 2024. Shivon Zilis was born on 8 February 1986. The venture capitalist’s zodiac sign is Aquarius.

Is Shivon Zilis white?

Shivon is not solely “white”—she comes from a mixed-ethnicity background. Her mother, Sharda Zilis, is Punjabi Indian, while her father, Richard Zilis, is of Canadian (Caucasian) descent, making Shivon half-South Asian and half-white.

Growing up in Markham, Ontario, Shivon was raised in a multicultural household that combined her parents' different cultural backgrounds. This upbringing played a key role in shaping her identity and worldview.

Shivon spoke about her cultural background with a playful remark:

“I just got the big eyes from the Punjabi side.”

Shivon Zilis' religion

Zilis has not publicly aligned herself with any organised religion, and much about her spiritual life remains private.

Shivon Zilis’ educational background

She attended Unionville High School in Markham, Ontario. Zilis then went to Yale and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy. She played as a goalkeeper for the university’s ice hockey team.

Zilis also excelled in music, playing the guitar and drums. She got interested in AI when she read Ray Kurzweil's The Age of Spiritual Machines in college.

Where does Shivon Zilis work?

Shivon is the Director of Operations and Special Projects at Neuralink, one of the leading neurotechnology companies in the United States. She has held the role since 2017 and reports directly to Elon Musk.

Zilis has worked extensively with Artificial Intelligence. Her LinkedIn page shows she has been a fellow and mentor at Creative Destruction Lab since 2015. She also worked with OpenAI for seven years as an advisor and board member. Shivon was also formerly a project director at Tesla for two years.

Zilis is also one of the founding members of Bloomberg Beta’s investment team. As of 2015, she had led nine investments. Zilis was named one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 in 2015 for her work as a venture capitalist.

Shivon was a co-host for a conference that brings together academics, authors, investors and founders in machine intelligence. The conference was held annually at the University of Toronto.

What is Shivon Zilis’ net worth?

Her net worth is allegedly between $5 million and $15 million. CA Knowledge estimates her worth at about $15 million, while HITC estimates the figure to be between $5 million and $10 million. She has made a living from her extensive work as a technology executive and venture capitalist.

How did Shivon Zilis make her money?

Shivon’s financial success results from a blend of high-level executive roles, strategic investments, and advisory positions. She held key positions at IBM, Tesla, and Neuralink, earning competitive salaries and stock incentives.

Her work as a partner at Bloomberg Beta, where she invested in early-stage AI startups, brought in substantial venture capital profits. In addition, she earns ongoing income through board and advisory roles in the AI and defence technology sectors, further solidifying her position as a financially successful tech executive.

Shivon Zilis and Elon Musk's relationship

Elon and Shivon never dated, according to a Reuters report. According to the report, five of Shivon’s colleagues said she and Elon were never romantically involved. She allegedly told her colleagues that she conceived their twins via in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, neither she nor Musk have spoken up to verify the claims.

News that Zilis and Musk had kids attracted much backlash as their relationship was intensely scrutinised. The Canadian celebrity reported directly to Musk at her job at Neuralink, which many believed created an unhealthy power dynamic.

On having children with Elon Musk (as told to Walter Isaacson);

“If the choice is between an anonymous donor or doing it with the person you admire most in the world, for me that was a pretty easy decision. I can't possibly think of genes I would prefer for my children.”

Neuralink’s employee handbook prohibits such relationships between superiors and their subordinates. However, the company reportedly accepted their explanation that they were never romantically involved. At the time of writing, Zilis has maintained her position in Musk’s company.

Elon is one of the most famous people on earth. Shivon met him when she worked at OpenAI as an advisor. They share several intellectual interests, including AI and the future of humanity. She also admires and respects him deeply.

She tweeted defending him from public criticism, saying he works tirelessly to fight for an inspiring future for humanity.

How many children does Elon Musk have with Shivon Zilis?

Shivon made headlines when it was revealed that she had twins with Elon Musk in November 2021 via IVF. The twins, named Strider and Azure, were followed by two more children with her husband, Musk—a third child born in mid-2024, and a fourth in early 2025.

The AI researcher has opted for a private family structure and is not married, choosing to have children independently through IVF.

Are Shivon Zilis and Elon Musk together?

Elon Musk and Shivon are not publicly known to be in a romantic relationship, though they share a strong co-parenting dynamic. Reuters reported she is not romantically involved with him, describing the arrangement as co-parenting, not a partnership.

Trivia

• Her fascination with AI sparked in her early teens after hearing Our Lady Peace’s album Spiritual Machines, which led her to read Ray Kurzweil’s work on technology and consciousness.
• Since around 2015, Shivon has served as a mentor at the University of Toronto’s Creative Destruction Lab, an AI startup incubator, helping guide emerging tech businesses.
• She joined OpenAI’s board in 2016 as one of its youngest directors,
• Shivon Zilis and Musk share a passion for fantasy video games (e.g., Elden Ring)
• Beyond hockey, she’s enjoyed surfing, zip-lining, and ice climbing—often sharing photos of her outdoor pursuits before quietly deleting her social media accounts.

Shivon Zilis’ bio reveals how the Canadian-born celebrity has achieved success as a technology executive, working with prestigious companies like Neuralink, Tesla and OpenAI. However, Zilis became a feature in mainstream pop culture when she had twins with Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.

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Source: Legit.ng