Shivon Zilis, Elon Musk’s longtime partner and the mother of four of his children, has announced their split in a lengthy post on X.
Zilis, who previously worked at Musk’s car company Tesla and is now at his technology firm Neuralink, is mother to four of the billionaire’s 14 known children. The pair’s romance dates back to 2016, though the details of their relationship have been kept quiet.
“It’s hard to go from in love to let go in a week with no warning, but that’s just how it is sometimes,” Zilis began.
“I feel happy that I got to show Elon how it feels to be deeply understood, nurtured, and peacefully loved with stability and gentleness. Given the tumultuous nature of his early life, his often tortured soul, and how hard he fights for humanity I wanted him to feel the deepest and most stable form of love this world can provide. My heart is full knowing I got to do that, and I hope it leaves a lasting good effect.
“We were always his safe space,” she continued. “A place where all of us were overjoyed to see him and one that was always full of happiness and love, not war, in contrast to his otherwise militant existence (a needed break from the battlefield where he could recharge his heart and soul before heading back out).
It’s hard to go from in love to let go in a week with no warning, but that’s just how it is sometimes 🤷🏻♀️
— Shivon Zilis (@shivon) October 2, 2026
I feel happy that I got to show Elon how it feels to be deeply understood, nurtured, and peacefully loved with stability and gentleness. Given the tumultuous nature of his… https://t.co/HAOfjxrIig pic.twitter.com/lgL0GVzD2R
“I loved being that counterbalancing place of safety, sense of calm, and love — and delighted in bringing a smile back to his face when he was down. I will miss him dearly.”
Zilis added that there is “a lot of loss, but luckily we created four beautiful little loves of my life,” referring to their children. The pair welcomed twins in 2021, a third child in 2024, and a fourth in 2025.
“I do hope and pray he and I can be great friends and coparents,” she continued. “I’m hurting, but care deeply about E and will always be cheering for his happiness. God speed, Elon, the world is lucky to have you.”
The Independent has reached out to Musk for comment.
Musk and Zilis largely kept details of their romance under wraps until earlier this year when Zilis revealed during the OpenAI trial that sometime after she joined the tech company in 2016, she had a romantic “one-off” with Musk.
The court heard how Musk “offered to make a donation” in a “platonic sperm donor” arrangement after Zilis decided she wanted to become a single mother – an arrangement that later developed into a romantic partnership.
Musk has 14 known children with four different women, according to People. He has not yet spoken out about the breakup.
Along with her lengthy note, Zilis shared a text message exchange between herself and Musk from late September.
“It was really wonderful to see you for breakfast. Love you very much,” Zilis texted Musk, per the screenshot.
Musk responded September 24: “Love you too.”
He followed up by saying he didn’t realize he could have invited her to a dinner held at the White House last week for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Aw, that means so much to me. Thank you,” Zilis responded with a heart emoji.
