In a candid revelation, Elon Musk has shared that his partner, Shivon Zilis, the director of operations and special projects at Neuralink, is of Indian descent. He also disclosed that one of their sons bears the middle name ‘Sekhar,’ a tribute to the celebrated Indian-American Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Musk shared these details during an appearance on Nikhil Kamath’s ‘WTF is?’ podcast.
“My partner Shivon is half Indian,” Musk stated during the podcast. He further explained the significance of their son’s middle name: “One of my sons with her, his middle name is Sekhar after Chandrasekhar.” The esteemed physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983, was recognized for his pivotal theoretical research on the physical processes essential to understanding stars.
Musk emphasized that Zilis’s Indian heritage is ancestral. “She grew up in Canada,” he clarified. He touched upon her adoption as an infant, suggesting her father may have been an exchange student at a Canadian university. Zilis was raised in Ontario.
Zilis is a recognized expert in technology and AI, having joined Neuralink in 2017. Her academic qualifications include a degree in economics and philosophy from Yale University. Her professional journey prior to Neuralink involved significant roles at IBM, Bloomberg, and as part of the venture capital firm Bloomberg Beta.
Zilis and Musk are parents to four children together: twins Strider and Azure, born in 2021; daughter Arcadia, born in 2024; and their youngest son, Seldon Lycurgus. Musk has children with other partners as well.
Musk also spoke about the significant positive impact of Indian talent on the U.S. economy and innovation. Discussing the H-1B visa program, he suggested that while some entities have exploited the system, the program’s benefits outweigh its drawbacks. He firmly stated his opposition to shutting down the H-1B program, underscoring its value in bringing skilled professionals to America.