Elon Musk, the 52-year-old Tesla founder and tech mogul, has quietly welcomed a new member to his ever-growing family earlier this year. The baby’s mother is Shivon Zilis, the director of special projects at Neuralink Corp., a company also founded by Musk.
A private family life
Musk and his partners have always tried to shield their children’s lives from the public eye. This approach was underscored in September 2023, when Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes and mother to three of Musk’s children, took to X (formerly Twitter) to request privacy for her and Musk’s children.
In a lengthy post, she addressed the media frenzy surrounding her co-parenting relationship with Musk and the recent revelation of their third child, a son named Techno Mechanicus, who was born shortly after Musk’s children with Zilis.
Musk’s expanding family
Elon Musk’s journey into fatherhood began in 2002 with the birth of his first son, Nevada Alexander, with his first wife, Justine Wilson.
Tragically, Nevada passed away at 10 weeks old due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Wilson and Musk later had twins, Vivian Jenna, and Griffin, in 2004, followed by triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian in 2006, all conceived through IVF.
In May 2020, Musk and Grimes welcomed their first child together, a son named X Æ A-Xii. The couple later had a daughter via surrogate in December 2021, named Exa Dark Sideræl. Around the same time, Musk secretly welcomed twins Strider and Azure with Shivon Zilis in November 2021.
The revelation of Musk’s newest child comes on the heels of journalist Walter Isaacson’s 2023 biography about Musk, which disclosed the birth of Musk and Grimes’ third child, a son named Techno Mechanicus, who also goes by “Tau.”
Musk confirmed the birth of his latest child with Shivon Zilis, dismissing any notions of secrecy. “As for ‘secretly fathered,’ that is also false,” he stated. “All our friends and family know. Failure to issue a press release, which would be bizarre, does not mean ‘secret,’” he added. Despite this clarification, the sex and name of Musk’s youngest child remain undisclosed, highlighting the couple’s commitment to privacy.
The news of the birth of Elon Musk’s 12th baby came as a surprise to the people who follow his life on the internet. One common comparison kept appearing in online comment sections: the resemblance to Nick Cannon’s big family. Cannon is also known for having numerous kids, including twins with Mariah Carey.
“Nick Cannon and Elon single-handedly repopulating the earth,” joked one Instagram user. “Elon and Nick Cannon competing?” and “Nick, you got 24 hours to respond!” were some other visible comments.
Elon Musk’s personal life has often been a topic of intense public interest and scrutiny, given his high-profile relationships and significant professional achievements. His growing brood of children and the dynamics between his partners illustrate the complexities of his personal life, often played out under the public’s watchful eye.