Elon Musk's Neuralink Executive And Mother To 3 Of His 13 Kids Says He Was Never Interested In Doing Anything 'For Money' — Just For Humanity

Shivon Zilis isn't just another high-ranking executive in Elon Musk's orbit—she's also the mother of three of his 13 children. And if you ask her, Musk isn't driven by wealth, despite being one of the richest people on the planet.

"When I first encountered Elon, one of the things that struck me was that he was never interested in doing anything ‘for money'—it would always boil down to ‘is this of existential relevance to humanity,'" Zilis wrote in a post on X in December. 

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It's a statement that aligns with Musk's own ethos. While the world speculates about his motivations—whether it's launching rockets with SpaceX, implanting brain chips with Neuralink, or reshaping social media with X—Zilis says the driving force has never been profit.

"It was rare and refreshing," she added. "And hopefully increasingly common amongst us as time goes forward."

A Shared Vision at Neuralink

Zilis and Musk's relationship isn't just personal—it's deeply tied to their shared passion for artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces. Zilis, who has an extensive background in AI and venture capital, joined Neuralink in 2017. 

During a presentation at the Canadian Undergraduate Conference on AI in 2021, she referred to it as the most "complicated but also fascinating thing I've ever encountered in my life."

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Since then, she's been one of the company's top executives, working to push forward its mission of developing brain implants that could help people with paralysis regain mobility and communication.

Their Growing Family

While their professional partnership has been public for years, their personal connection remained under the radar until 2022, when it was revealed that Musk and Zilis had quietly welcomed twins, Strider and Azure, in 2021. In 2024, they had a third child together, though details remain private.

Zilis has spoken about how Musk influenced her decision to have children, sharing in Walter Isaacson's biography on Musk that she was initially considering an anonymous sperm donor before Musk offered to be the donor himself.

"He really wants smart people to have kids, so he encouraged me to do this," she said. "I can't possibly think of genes I would prefer for my children."

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Defending Musk's Vision

Zilis has long been one of Musk's most vocal supporters, stepping in to defend him against critics. When he called California's COVID-19 lockdown procedures "fascist" in 2020, she pushed back against the backlash, saying:

"No one's perfect but I've never met anyone who goes through more personal pain to fight for an inspiring future for humanity—and has done so tirelessly for decades." She continued, "there is no one I respect and admire more."

Her latest comments on X echo that same belief—that Musk isn't just another billionaire looking to increase his fortune, but someone relentlessly focused on the future of humanity.

And if money were ever a factor? Musk himself addressed that with his own tongue-in-cheek remark on X:

"If I am allegedly ‘bought' by some country or group, how can they realistically afford it? I'm too expensive."

Whether it's Neuralink, AI, or space travel, one thing seems clear—Musk's decisions, at least according to Zilis, come down to one fundamental question: Is this something that could change the future of humanity?

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