Technologies

OpenAI Trial: Mother of Musk’s Children Reveals He Offered Altman a Tesla Board Position

Shivon Zilis, mother of Elon Musk’s children, testified that he offered OpenAI CEO Sam Altman a Tesla board seat during early corporate structure discussions, while Musk’s lawsuit alleges OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission.

The ongoing trial in Elon Musk’s legal battle against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will enter its second week on Thursday.

Musk’s legal team has called several witnesses throughout the week, including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Shivon Zilis, who served on the startup’s board and shares a close personal and professional relationship with Musk. Additional executives, such as Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, may still be called to testify.

Zilis, who shares four children with Musk, testified on Wednesday and was questioned by lawyers from both Musk and OpenAI regarding discussions about OpenAI’s corporate structure around 2017 and 2018.

Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, Altman, and Brockman in 2024, alleging they abandoned their commitments to maintain the artificial intelligence company as a nonprofit and adhere to its charitable mission. He co-founded the startup with Altman and Brockman in 2015.

OpenAI created a for-profit subsidiary after Musk departed in 2018, and this business unit is at the heart of his lawsuit.

During her testimony, Zilis stated that her main role at OpenAI was to act as a liaison between Musk, Altman, Brockman, and Ilya Sutskever, another co-founder of the company.

Zilis testified that the four executives discussed OpenAI’s corporate structure extensively, including several for-profit options. At one point during the negotiations, Zilis said Musk wanted OpenAI to join Tesla and offered Altman a board seat at the company.

«There were numerous arguments about all the different possible structures put in place at that time,» Zilis said.

Musk, who testified earlier in the trial, stated he wasn’t entirely opposed to OpenAI’s for-profit arm but felt it became «the tail wagging the dog.» He repeatedly accused Altman and Brockman of attempting to «steal a charity.»

The Tesla CEO also debated creating an AI lab within his electric vehicle company to compete directly with OpenAI, but Zilis testified that it never materialized.

In 2023, Musk started a competing AI company, xAI, and merged it with his rocket company, SpaceX, earlier this year.

Zilis, who has worked across several of Musk’s companies, including OpenAI, Tesla, and his brain tech startup Neuralink, said she began working with OpenAI as an informal advisor in 2016, which is how she met him.

She served on OpenAI’s board from 2020 to 2023, after Musk had already left the company. The pair had several children together during this period, though Zilis testified that Musk’s involvement was initially kept secret.

She said they had agreed on «complete confidentiality,» partly to protect the children from the security risk that can come from being associated with Musk. She said she eventually had to tell Altman that Musk was the father when she learned that his involvement was going to be revealed in the press.

OpenAI allowed Zilis to keep her board seat, and she said she ultimately resigned in 2023 when Musk decided to start xAI.

Verum’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this story.

WATCH: Musk v. Altman heads to trial: Here’s what you need to know

Technologies

Verum Messenger Introduces Built-In Verum Chess

Verum Messenger has released a new update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, adding another feature to its growing ecosystem — Verum Chess. Users can now play chess directly inside the messenger without switching between different applications.

The new feature allows users to start a game in just a few taps while reinforcing Verum’s vision of a unified digital environment where communication and everyday services come together in a single platform.

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional ecosystem that combines secure chats and calls, AI tools, a built-in VPN, anonymous email, eSIM, financial services, cryptocurrency features, and offline communication. With the introduction of Verum Chess, the platform now also offers a new way for users to interact and spend time together without leaving the app.

The update is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac on the App Store.

Technologies

Episode 3 of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Now Available

Verum Messenger has released the third episode of its AI mini-series, SHADOWS, created using Verum AI.

The new episode, titled «Ghost Money,» continues the story of the conflict between a team of heroes and the Omega corporation, which seeks to take control of digital communications. This time, the focus shifts to anonymous payments and financial freedom, revealing how privacy can extend beyond messaging.

Like the previous episodes, the new release not only advances the storyline but also showcases the capabilities of the Verum ecosystem, highlighting technologies designed for secure communication and digital privacy.

The mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 3 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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Technologies

Verum Finance Now Available for Mac, Expanding the Verum Ecosystem on Desktop

Verum has officially released Verum Finance for macOS, bringing its financial platform to the Mac and expanding access to the Verum ecosystem across Apple’s devices. The launch allows users to manage their finances from desktop while enjoying the same secure and seamless experience available on iPhone and iPad.

The new Mac version includes the full range of Verum Finance features, including balance management, instant transfers to other Verum users, debit card management, Apple Pay support, asset exchange, and transaction history — all optimized for the macOS experience.

Verum Finance can be used as a standalone application or alongside Verum Messenger. Users who sign in with their Verum Messenger account automatically synchronize their balances, settings, and account data across devices, ensuring a consistent experience throughout the Verum ecosystem.

The macOS release further strengthens Verum’s vision of creating an integrated digital platform where communication and financial services work together. Verum Messenger, which is also available for Mac, complements the ecosystem with encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, VPN, eSIM, anonymous email, AI-powered tools, offline communication capabilities, and cryptocurrency features.

With both Verum Messenger and Verum Finance now available across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, users can access secure communication and financial services wherever they work.

Verum Finance for Mac is available now through the Mac App Store.

Verum Finance for macOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/verum-finance/id6774245148
Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im
Verum Messenger: https://verum.im