Shivon Zilis’ notes may be the most crucial evidence we’ve encountered so far.
I attended the Musk v. Altman trial today, keenly aware that no one would ask Shivon Zilis the question on everyone’s mind: Girl, what exactly are you doing?
Zilis, who testified under oath that she is the mother of four of Musk’s children, attempted to define her role with Musk. She denies being a “chief of staff” but claims to have worked across Musk’s entire AI portfolio: Tesla, Neuralink, and OpenAI since 2017.
Her responsibility under Musk was to identify bottlenecks and resolve them, working 80 to 100 hours weekly. Her first twin children by Musk were born in 2021 while she was serving on OpenAI’s board, keeping this aspect hidden. Even her family was unaware of the children’s paternity until court documents listed Musk as the father.
During her testimony, she presented a meek demeanor, making her account damaging for Musk. She appeared to be the sole person documenting conversations among the parties involved regarding OpenAI’s direction. Her notes surfaced as the trial’s pivotal evidence—surpassing even Brockman’s diary.
Zilis narrated her involvement, highlighting a role where she relayed Musk’s mood to Altman as conducive for discussion. Despite trying to downplay any funneling of information, her notes significantly undermined Musk’s case.
Moreover, countless ideas were shared between 2017 and 2018. Her emails from that period provide vital context, illustrating the flow of information and decision-making. Notably, an option of rapidly transitioning to for-profit status was recorded.
It’s significant to observe Zilis’ proximity to Musk, which influenced her testimony. Despite attempts to contextualize exchanged messages, it emerged that her focus remained aligned with Musk’s interests.
Zilis’ continued presence in OpenAI following revelations of her maternal connection to Musk’s children points towards a deep-seated loyalty to him, affecting her credibility. Given this backdrop, her testimony seemed more aligned with Musk’s narrative rather than an independent recounting, reflecting her primary allegiance.