Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member and mother of Elon Musk's children, testified in federal court regarding early discussions about OpenAI's corporate structure, revealing Musk's suggestion that OpenAI join Tesla. The testimony centers on a high-stakes lawsuit filed by Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, alleging a breach of the company's original non-profit commitments.
The Lawsuit Background
- Filing Date: Musk filed the lawsuit against OpenAI, Altman, and Greg Brockman in 2024.
- Core Allegation: Musk alleges that the leadership violated their initial commitment to maintain OpenAI as a non-profit entity dedicated to its charitable mission.
- Focus of Dispute: A central point of the litigation is the establishment of a for-profit subsidiary following Musk's departure from the company in 2018.
Testimony Details from Shivon Zilis
Shivon Zilis took the stand on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Oakland, California, to discuss corporate discussions from around 2017 and 2018. She has a close professional and personal relationship with Musk.
- Zilis's Role: She stated that her primary function at OpenAI was to act as a liaison among Musk, Altman, Brockman, and co-founder Ilya Sutskever.
- Corporate Structure Talks: Zilis testified that the four executives debated OpenAI's corporate structure extensively, considering various for-profit models.
- Musk's Proposal: During these negotiations, Zilis revealed that Elon Musk proposed that OpenAI join Tesla, and furthermore, he reportedly offered Sam Altman a board seat at Tesla.
Trial Proceedings
The trial, which is part of Musk's lawsuit, is scheduled to conclude its second week of proceedings on Thursday. Musk's legal team called several witnesses, including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Zilis. Other executives, such as Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, may still testify.
