In a rare glimpse into his personal life, Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk opened up about his partner Shivon Zilis, her family background, and the inspiration behind their children’s names during an appearance on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, People by WTF.

For the first time publicly, Musk shared that Zilis is half Indian, a detail he said had subtly influenced the naming of one of their twin sons. He revealed that one of the boys carries the middle name “Sekhar”, a tribute to legendary Indian-American astrophysicist and Nobel Prize recipient Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Musk described the choice as a respectful nod both to Chandrasekhar’s towering scientific contributions and to Zilis’ Indian heritage.

When Kamath asked about Zilis’ early life, Musk offered additional insight, saying she was raised in Canada and was adopted shortly after birth. He added that her biological father had once been an exchange student at a university, though Musk admitted he wasn’t fully certain about all aspects of her biological family history. Despite the limited details he had, Musk emphasized that Zilis grew up entirely in Canada and spent her childhood there.

Zilis and Musk first crossed professional paths in 2017 when she joined Neuralink, Musk’s brain–computer interface company. Over the years, she has taken on a pivotal role in the organisation and currently serves as Director of Operations and Special Projects. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Philosophy from Yale University, a combination that Musk noted has shaped her analytical and multidisciplinary approach to the rapidly evolving fields of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology.