Elon Musk, the visionary behind Tesla and SpaceX, has recently become a father for the 12th time, confirming the news with an executive at his Neuralink company. It’s hard to imagine how Musk finds time for family amid his ambitious technological projects and frequent engagements on the social media platform X. Yet, the birth of his 12th child might just emphasize his knack for balancing a prolific professional life with his personal one.
Musk revealed to Page Six that his latest child was born earlier this year, denying any attempts to keep the news under wraps. He explained, “All our friends and family know. As for ‘secretly fathered,’ that is also false. Failure to issue a press release does not mean ‘secret.’” This new addition to his family was with Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive, with whom he also shares twins Strider and Azure, born in November 2021.
The identity and details of the newborn remain private. This child comes shortly after Musk welcomed three other children with the artist Grimes, with their third child arriving just one month after twins Strider and Azure. Despite his growing family, Musk has expressed concerns about global population decline, a topic he discussed further with Page Six. He stated, “Many countries are already well below replacement rate, and the trend is that almost all will be. This is simply a fact, not a ‘debunked theory.’ 2.1 kids is the replacement rate, and obviously, the world as a whole will soon drop below that point.”
Musk has always been candid about his views on parenting and population. In July of the previous year, he shared with the publication his desire to have ‘as many [children] as he is able to spend time with and be a good father’. His first child, born with his first wife Justine Wilson in 2002, tragically died at 10 weeks old due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Following this, Musk and Wilson had twins Vivian Jenna and Griffin via IVF in 2004, and triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian in 2006.
With Grimes, Musk has fathered X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Techno Mechanicus, who is also affectionately known as ‘Tau’. Each of Musk’s children’s names reflects a unique blend of creativity and significance, underscoring the Tesla CEO’s unconventional approach to nearly every aspect of his life.