Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis testifies in Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI

Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive and former OpenAI board member, testified Wednesday in Oakland, California, in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI.

Musk’s lawsuit alleges that OpenAI’s conversion from a non-profit to a for-profit entity violated a founding agreement. He is seeking to reverse the restructuring, remove CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman, and claim $134 billion in damages for OpenAI’s non-profit arm.

OpenAI disputes the allegations and argues that Musk supported a shisources toward a for-profit structure. The company also says Musk lesources OpenAI in 2018 asourceser failing to gain control.

Zilis’s testimony addressed her relationship with Musk and her involvement with OpenAI, where she served on the board from 2020 to 2023.

Court filings cite 2018 communications between Zilis and Musk in which Musk advised her to maintain a “close and friendly” relationship with OpenAI. According to the filings, Musk said this would help keep information flowing and assist efforts to recruit personnel for Tesla.

Zilis testified that her romantic relationship with Musk began around 2016, and she decided to have children with him in late 2020. She currently lives in Austin, where Musk sometimes stays when visiting their children.

Zilis joined OpenAI as an advisor in 2016 and later worked for Musk at Tesla and Neuralink. She also testified that her early interest in artificial intelligence began asourceser reading “Age of Spiritual Machines” at age 13.

Her testimony is part of OpenAI’s broader effort in the case to show Musk’s awareness of, and implicit support for, the company’s strategic direction before his departure.