On the podcast, Elon Musk discusses Zilis’s upbringing, Indian background, and their children, while praising contributions of Indian professionals globally
Elon Musk has revealed that his partner, Shivon Zilis, has Indian roots and that one of their children carries a middle name inspired by Nobel Prize–winning astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Speaking on the podcast People by WTF, hosted by investor Nikhil Kamath, Musk said, “One of my sons with her has the middle name Sekhar, after Chandrasekhar.”
Chandrasekhar, an Indian-American scientist, won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on the structure and evolution of stars.
During the conversation, Musk also spoke about Zilis’s early life, describing how she was given up for adoption as an infant before being raised in Canada. Zilis grew up in Ontario and later attended Yale University, where she studied Economics and Philosophy while also playing as a goalkeeper on the ice hockey team.
Zilis began her career in innovation-focused roles at IBM and Bloomberg, later helping build Bloomberg Beta, the company’s venture capital arm. In 2016, she joined OpenAI, becoming the youngest member of its board before stepping down in 2023.
Zilis joined Musk’s neurotechnology startup Neuralink in 2017, where she now serves as Director of Operations and Special Projects. She has previously called Neuralink the most “complicated and fascinating” work she has encountered.
Musk and Zilis welcomed twins—Strider and Azure—in 2021, followed by daughter Arcadia in 2024. The couple later confirmed the arrival of a fourth child, named Seldon Lycurgus. Musk has several other children with different partners.
Praising Indian Talent
In the podcast, Musk also praised the contribution of Indian professionals to the United States, saying, “America has been an immense beneficiary of talent from India,” while noting growing concerns around stricter visa norms and a shrinking promise of the traditional American dream.
Kamath’s podcast has increasingly become a high-profile stage for global leaders across technology, business and policy, with past guests including Bill Gates, Vinod Khosla, and Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas.
