- Elon Musk says partner Shivon Zilis has Indian roots.
- Son’s middle name ‘Sekhar’ inspired by physicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
- Musk shares details of Zilis’s early life and adoption.
- Says the US has long benefitted from Indian talent amid tightening visa norms.
GG News Bureau
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said that his partner Shivon Zilis is half-Indian, revealing personal details during his appearance on Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, “WTF is?”. Musk also disclosed that the middle name of one of their sons is “Sekhar”, chosen in honour of Indian-American physicist and Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
“I’m not sure if you know this, but my partner Shivon is half Indian,” Musk said during the conversation. “One of my sons with her, his middle name is Sekhar after Chandrasekhar.”
Musk further shared aspects of Zilis’s early life when asked about her upbringing. “She grew up in Canada. She was given up for adoption when she was a baby. I think her father was an exchange student at the university or something like that,” he said. “I’m not sure of the exact details, but she was given up for adoption and grew up in Canada.”
Zilis joined Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink in 2017 and currently serves as Director of Operations and Special Projects. A Yale graduate, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy.
Zilis and Musk have four children together — twins Strider and Azure, daughter Arcadia, and son Seldon Lycurgus.
In the same podcast episode, Musk said the United States has gained enormously from the contributions of Indians. “America has been an immense beneficiary of talent from India, but that seems to be changing now,” he noted, referring to rising visa restrictions and policy uncertainties that are reshaping the prospects of many Indian aspirants.
His remarks come at a time when pathways to the American dream are facing new challenges for thousands of Indians.
