In a moment that drew chuckles in court, Elon Musk on Tuesday hesitated when asked under oath about Shivon Zilis. “She is my chief of staff,” he said, before trailing off.A day later, as testimony in his case against Sam Altman and OpenAI continued, Musk clarified: “We live together. And she’s the mother of four of my children.”The exchange has drawn fresh attention to Zilis, a relatively low-profile but influential figure who now finds herself at the centre of a high-stakes legal battle involving Musk, OpenAI and Microsoft.A Canadian upbringing with Punjabi rootsShivon Zilis, 40, was born in Markham, Ontario, to a Punjabi-origin mother and a Canadian father. She grew up in Canada, attended Unionville High School and later studied at Yale University, where she also played hockey.  After graduating in 2008, she began her career at IBM, working in its cognitive computing division.She later became a founding member of Bloomberg Beta, the venture capital arm of Bloomberg, and was named in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in 2015. Her mother’s name is Sharda Zilis and she was an exchange student in Canada, where she met Shivon’s father, Richard Zilis.Entry into Musk’s world and OpenAIZilis began working with OpenAI around 2016 as an adviser and later served on its non-profit board until 2023. Around the same time, she is believed to have developed a personal relationship with Musk.Her professional association with Musk deepened over the years. She worked at Tesla between 2017 and 2019 on Autopilot and chip design projects, and later held a senior role at Neuralink.Family tiesZilis and Musk have four children together. Their twins were born in 2021, followed by a daughter in 2023 and a son in 2024. Musk publicly acknowledged the relationship during his testimony, bringing what was largely private into the spotlight.The OpenAI linkWhat makes Zilis significant in the ongoing case is not just her personal connection to Musk, but her proximity to key developments within OpenAI.Court documents and messages presented during the trial suggest she remained in touch with OpenAI leadership even after Musk stepped down from its board in 2018. In one message cited in court, she reportedly asked Musk whether she should maintain friendly ties with OpenAI “to keep info flowing” or distance herself.Musk’s response, according to the filings, was to stay close.Over time, Zilis is said to have acted as a conduit of information, relaying updates and engaging with senior OpenAI figures, including Altman, co-founder Greg Brockman and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.Messages presented in court also indicate that Altman reached out to Zilis on multiple occasions, seeking her views on how to respond to Musk during periods of tension.Why her role mattersAt the heart of Musk’s lawsuit is the allegation that OpenAI deviated from its original non-profit mission. As both sides present their case, Zilis’ unique position—close to Musk while also interacting with OpenAI leadership—has made her a potentially crucial witness.Her testimony could help clarify whether she acted merely as a professional associate or as an informal bridge between Musk and the organisation during a period of growing friction.As the trial unfolds, her role is likely to be closely examined by both sides, with implications for a case that has already exposed rare behind-the-scenes exchanges from Silicon Valley’s most influential figures.