Nicole Shanahan, lawyer and former wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, is once more in hot water as new details of her alleged illicit affair with Tesla CEO Elon Musk was released in a recent report by The New York Times - delving mostly on her image and her influence in Silicon Valley.
Shanahan, the surprise running mate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the US 2024 Presidential Election, was pictured as a status and party-loving personality in the article. The piece also revealed several explosive details of how she penetrated and influenced the inner circles of the tech industry - making her one of the most intriguing personalities to run in the upcoming elections.
Silicon Valley Affairs
The NYT article, citing multiple sources, became an expose that shed light on Shanahan's relationship with Brin. The report is based on information from eight sources and documents reviewed by the publication.
Shanahan had front row access into the inner circles of the tech industry when she married Brin in 2018, but before that she was already involved with the tech industry when she married her first husband, a certain Mr. Kranz, who is said to be a Tech investor from California. They had a brief marriage which fell apart because Shanahan was allegedly having an affair with Brin.
When Shanahan and Brin finally got together, the lawyer finally had access to the top tier of Silicon Valley. They also have a daughter together. Due to the stress caused by the pandemic, and their daughter's autism, it was said that Shanahan and Brin's relationship started to fall apart.
The lawyer would then start attending private parties on her own, one of which was revealed to be a private party where she took ketamine with Musk in 2021. Earlier reports suggest that Musk uses illegal drugs with directors of various companies, who participate to maintain close ties with the billionaire. It was allegedly the same time the two started having an affair, however, both would deny this.
"At a party in early 2021 in Miami, Ms. Shanahan was so intoxicated by drugs and alcohol that she required an IV infusion," the outlet reported. According to three sources cited by the Times, Shanahan and Musk allegedly had an affair in December 2021 at a private party in Miami.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, ketamine is a "dissociative anaesthetic" with potential hallucinogenic effects. It can be legally prescribed under federal law, and recent studies suggest it may help treat depression. However, ketamine is also widely used as a recreational party drug.
The Impact on Brin and Musk's Friendship
The duo reportedly consumed ketamine and "disappeared together for several hours." The X owner recently admitted he consumes a "small amount" of ketamine every week, claiming to have a prescription for it.
"Ms. Shanahan later told Mr. Brin that she had had s*x with Mr. Musk," three of the NYT sources said. She also relayed the details to friends, family and advisers." One month later, in January 2022, Brin filed for divorce from Shanahan, citing "irreconcilable differences."
In July 2022, The Wall Street Journal initially reported an "alleged affair" between Shanahan and Musk, which caused a strain in the relationship between the Tesla CEO and Brin. These allegations were said to have affected their friendship, which is widely regarded as close and amicable in Silicon Valley.
Shanahan and Musk's Responses
That July, Musk denied the alleged affair with Shanahan, dismissing the WSJ report as "total BS" in a post on X. Around the same time, Musk's relationship with singer Grimes, with whom he shares three children (X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno Mechanicus), had ended.
"This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night!" Musk wrote. "I've only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic."
Musk later posted a photo of himself with Brin, claiming it was taken at the party the day before. However, his biographer, Walter Isaacson, later mentioned that Brin had "tried to avoid" being in the selfie.
The Wall Street Journal said at the time, "We are confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting." Shanahan also denied any affair, telling People that the speculation was "utterly debilitating."
"To be known because of a sexual act is one of the most humiliating things . . . it was utterly debilitating," she told the outlet. "I remember feeling like everything I had ever worked for was under siege by a press cycle that had no idea what was going on in my life and who I was."
In response to questions from a reporter at The New York Times, Shanahan expressed her shock, stating she was "shocked the NYT is letting you run something like this."
