Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member, testified for several hours on May 6, in federal court in Oakland, as part of Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI becoming a for-profit company.
The testimony focused on Shivon Zilis’ role in early discussions with Elon Musk about OpenAI becoming a for-profit company, as well as how their working relationship developed into a personal one, resulting in her having four of his children.
Shivon said, “I still really wanted to be a mum, and Elon made the offer around that time, and I accepted,” explaining that in 2020 Elon Musk had offered to donate sperm. She said that at the time, Elon Musk was encouraging people around him to have children and noticed she didn’t have any yet, so he offered to donate sperm. As of early 2026, Musk has 14 known children with four different women.
One of the richest and most high-profile entrepreneurs of the modern age, Elon Musk has become an increasingly controversial figure. Since his 2022 takeover of Twitter, now X, and his emergence as a prominent figure of the far right, the billionaire has faced intense public scrutiny. His involvement with the US government in 2025 garnered immense criticism, especially after the cost-cutting drives led to thousands of job losses. Most recently, his AI chatbot Grok has come under fire for facilitating online abuse of women and children.
Click through the following gallery to learn more about Musk's journey from business to politics, and why it’s been causing such a stir.