The OpenAI chief asks a California court to compel Elon Musk’s Neuralink executive and mother of his children to turn over private communications.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has moved to strengthen his defense in an ongoing lawsuit with Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk by requesting access to private messages from Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink and the mother of several of Musk’s children.
Altman’s legal team has asked a California judge to order Zilis to provide texts and emails within 72 hours. They argue that the communications could demonstrate Musk himself pushed for commercializing OpenAI as early as 2017—contradicting his claims that the company abandoned its founding mission to serve humanity.
According to court filings, Zilis acted as a key link between Musk and OpenAI’s co-founders during internal debates about a possible restructuring that would have granted Musk a large equity stake. Altman also wants additional depositions from both Zilis and Musk’s close associate Jared Birchall if they fail to meet deadlines for producing the requested documents.
Musk’s lawyers oppose the motion, saying they have already handed over extensive records from both Zilis and Birchall. They argue that forcing multiple depositions would be excessive and that any missed deadlines should instead result in rescheduling.
The case highlights not only the high-stakes battle over the future of OpenAI but also Musk’s complex personal ties. The billionaire is believed to have fathered at least 14 children, including four with Zilis and three with musician Grimes. The court has yet to rule on Altman’s latest request.
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