Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of companies like Tesla and SpaceX, has confirmed that he recently welcomed his 12th child with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis. Contrary to media reports suggesting the birth was kept secret, Musk clarified that there was no intention to hide the news. He emphasized that while a public announcement was not made, all friends and family were aware of the new addition to his family.
Musk, 52, addressed the rumors in a statement to Page Six, saying, “As for ‘secretly fathered,’ that is also false. All our friends and family know. Failure to issue a press release, which would be bizarre, does not mean ‘secret’.” The baby’s name and gender have not been disclosed, but it is believed the child was born earlier this year.
The news of Musk’s latest child first surfaced in a Bloomberg article titled “Elon Wants You to Have More Babies,” which delved into Musk’s concerns about declining global birth rates. Musk has been vocal about his belief that a collapsing birth rate poses a significant threat to civilization, a view he has shared multiple times on social media and in interviews.
Musk and Zilis, who is the director of special projects at Neuralink, already share two-and-a-half-year-old twins, Strider and Azure, born in November 2021. The twins have appeared in several of Zilis’ social media posts, showcasing a glimpse into their family life.
Musk’s personal life has been a topic of public interest for years. He has had three marriages and three divorces, including two marriages to the same woman, British actress Talulah Riley. He also has eight children from two long-term relationships, in addition to the twins with Zilis. His first six children were with his ex-wife, Canadian author Justine Wilson. The couple’s first child, Nevada, tragically passed away at 10 weeks old due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Musk’s relationship with musician Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, has also been widely covered. The couple started dating in 2018 and have three children together. Their first child, X Æ A-12, was born in May 2020, and their second child, Exa Dark Sideræl, known as Y, was born via surrogate in December 2021. The existence of their third child, Techno Mechanicus, also known as Tau, was revealed in a biography about Musk.
Despite the complexities of his personal life, Musk has expressed a strong desire to be present for his children. In a 2022 interview, he stated, “I want as many [children] as I am able to spend time with and be a good father.” He has been seen attending various events with his children, including taking his four-year-old son X to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
Musk’s views on population growth have sparked debates and discussions. He has argued that many countries are already well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, which he believes is a significant risk to civilization. “Many countries are already well below the replacement rate, and the trend indicates that almost all will be. This is simply a fact, not a ‘debunked theory,'” Musk said.
In a 2023 interview with Tucker Carlson, Musk elaborated on his concerns, stating, “Once you have birth control and abortions and whatnot, now you can still satisfy the limbic instinct but not procreate. Will civilization end with a bang or a whimper? Well, it’s currently trying to end with a whimper in adult diapers, which is depressing as hell.”
However, the U.S. Census Bureau and other experts have disputed Musk’s views, noting that the world’s population is not in decline. According to data from the United Nations, the global population reached 8 billion last year and is projected to continue rising to 10 billion by the year 2100.
Musk’s relationship with Grimes has had its ups and downs, including a legal battle over parental rights to their three children. Last September, Grimes accused Musk of preventing her from seeing their son and claimed that Zilis had blocked her on social media. However, the two women have since reconciled, with Grimes expressing her excitement about becoming friends with Zilis and having their children grow up together.
Zilis, who was born in Ontario, Canada, met Musk through OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research organization he co-founded in 2015. She has been described as Musk’s “intellectual companion on artificial intelligence” and has been a key figure at Neuralink since joining the company in 2017.
Despite the challenges and controversies, Musk continues to focus on his work and family. He has made it clear that he does not plan to automatically hand over the reins of his companies to his children unless they show an interest and ability to manage them. “I am definitely not of the school of automatically giving my kids some shares of the companies, even if they have no interest or inclination or ability to manage the company,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council.
As Musk’s family continues to grow, he remains committed to his vision of increasing the global birth rate and ensuring a sustainable future for humanity. His latest child with Zilis is another chapter in his complex and ever-evolving personal life, one that continues to capture the public’s attention.
Source: Page Six, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Census Bureau, United Nations
