Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has confirmed the birth of his third child with Shivon Zilis, an executive at his brain implant company, Neuralink. The child was born earlier this year, although the name and sex have not been disclosed. Musk addressed rumors about the birth, stating that it was known among friends and family and was not kept secret.
“As for ‘secretly fathered,’ that is false,” he clarified. “Failure to issue a press release, which would be bizarre, does not mean ‘secret.'”
Musk, who has at least 11 other children, is a vocal proponent of increasing the global birth rate. He has expressed concerns over declining births, describing it as “the biggest danger civilization faces by far.” Many countries are already below the replacement rate, which could pose significant social and economic challenges, according to Musk.
Shivon Zilis, a Yale graduate, joined Neuralink in 2017 and is considered an intellectual companion to Musk.
Musk’s growing family with Zilis
She has also advised and served on the board of OpenAI and is a fellow at the Creative Destruction Lab, a machine-learning incubator at the University of Toronto.
Court documents show that Musk filed a petition to change the twins’ names to include both their father’s last name and their mother’s last name as part of their middle name. The birth of Musk’s latest child adds to his notable family, reflecting his commitment to what he sees as an effort to counter global underpopulation. Musk’s known children include five with his first wife, Justine Musk, three with the musician Grimes, and now three with Zilis.
The news about Musk’s third child with Zilis emerged shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported he had “boundary-blurring relationships” with female employees at his companies. Musk has faced scrutiny over these relationships, but he maintains that there are no secrets among his friends and family. Zilis and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
