Elon Musk Had Twins With His Top Neuralink Executive, But They Never Dated — She Explains 'He Wants Smart People To Have Kids, So He Encouraged Me To' And He's The Person She 'Admires Most In The World'
Jeannine ManciniTue, February 6, 2024 at 6:55 AM GMT+8·3 min read
Elon Musk, the visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX, is also known for his distinct approach to family, as detailed in his biography by Walter Isaacson. The book sheds light on Musk’s rationale for having multiple children with different women, emphasizing his belief in the need for intelligent people to procreate.
Shivon Zilis, a senior executive at Neuralink Corp. — a company Musk helped to establish — played a pivotal role in this narrative. Initially contemplating sperm donation for childbirth, Zilis was persuaded by Musk to consider him as the donor, a proposal that aligned with Musk’s advocacy for procreation among the intellectually inclined.
“He really wants smart people to have kids, so he encouraged me to,” Zilis said.
When faced with the choice between an anonymous donor and Musk, whom she greatly admires, Zilis described the decision as straightforward.
“If the choice is between an anonymous donor or doing it with the person you admire more in the world, for me it was a pretty f***king easy decision,” she said.
This arrangement, according to Zilis, was also perceived as something that would "make him very, very happy."
Initially, she said that she didn't expect him to be very involved — he is the father to multiple other children with two other women. In the biography, she explains she assumed he would take on a more "godfatherly" role to the twins. However, he has been actively involved in their lives.
Their decision to have children together, despite not being in a romantic relationship, stems from Musk’s broader concerns about the global decline in population. He has frequently voiced the importance of reversing this trend, especially among those with high intelligence, viewing it as crucial for civilization’s survival.
In July 2022, Musk took to X to express his commitment to addressing the underpopulation crisis, posting, “Doing my best to help the underpopulation crisis. A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.”
The post was just one day after Insider reported on court documents detailing how Musk and Zilis petitioned for their twins’ names to be changed to include Musk's surname and incorporate Zilis' last name into their middle name, according to Forbes.
