12 Must Know Facts Of Neuralink Director Shivon Zilis

Women in technology have contributed highly to advancing innovation and science. Shivon Zilis is one of those women who have impacted the world of AI and computing.

Here are 12 facts about Neuralink director Shivon Zilis, ranging from her relationship with Elon Musk to her work there. Furthermore, we shall discuss her early life, profession, and personal life.

Shivon is among the top female tech leaders, including Ruth Porat, Lorraine Twohill, Melanie Perkins, etc. To learn more, stay with us till the end.

12. She was born in Canada

Shivon was born on 8 February 1986 in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Her full name is Shivon Alice Zilis.

The Canadian national was born to an Indian Punjabi mother, Sharda Zilis, and Richard Zilis, a white Canadian.

11. Graduated From Yale University

Zilis obtained her high school certificate at Unionville High School in Markham. She also attended the famous Yale University, earning a BA in Economics and Philosophy.

The current Neuralink director Shivon Zilis was a goaltender on Yale’s hockey team. She holds the university’s all-time record for goals against average.

10. Kickstarted Her Career In 2007

The Canadian began her professional journey in 2007. She joined IBM Institute of Business Value as a Thought Leadership Analyst and worked there for nearly a year.

Neuralink Director Shivon Zilis. Image Credit: Social Media.

Similarly, Neuralink director Shivon Zilis became an employee of IBM as an IBM Microfinance initiative and Internal Strategy officer in 2008.

The Canadian national was involved in projects such as Mobile finance strategy, China banking solutions strategy, and many more.

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9. Worked For Two Big Firms From 2011 to 2012

After leaving IBM in 2011, Shivon joined Bloomberg Ventures in New York City. She was the Chief Adventurer of the firm until October 2012.

Similarly, Zilis became a board member of Global Community Charter School in June 2012. She left the school to begin a new journey with C100 as a Charter Member.

8. She is a Former Partner At Bloomberg LP

Shivon became a partner of Bloomberg LP in November 2012 and relocated to San Francisco, California. The venture capital fund focused on machine intelligence.

In partnership with Zilis, Bloomberg LP invested in over forty machine intelligence-powered companies. She parted ways with the venture capital funding in 2018.

7. Former Board of Director of Two Institutions In Canada

The Canadian national supported two institutes in Canada from 2015 to 2018. First, she became the board of directors of Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute in June 2015.

Neuralink Director Shivon Zilis. Image Credit: Social Media.

Furthermore, Shivon joined the Toronto-based Vector Institute in February 2017. This venture proved that she was highly passionate about artificial and machine intelligence.

6. Neuralink Director Shivon Zilis – Experience At OpenAI and Tesla

Zilis is named an expert in the field of artificial intelligence. Thanks to such subtitles alongside her name, she became an advisor to the American AI research foundation, OpenAI.

At OpenAI Foundation, Shivon became a board member in 2020. There, she worked with Sam Altman and Mira Murati.

Interestingly, the Neuralink director met Musk through her non-profit work at OpenAI, and the two later started a new journey. She worked as a Project Director for Musk’s Tesla EV from May 2017 until August 2019.

5. Left OpenAI In 2023

After sitting as a Board member for nearly three and a half years, Zilis departed from the AI research company in March 2023.

According to multiple sources, the Canadian national departed after Musk criticized the Silicon Valley-based firm.

4. Fellow At Creative Destruction Lab

Time and again, Shivon has dedicated her time and effort to support the Canadian company’s growth in the field of artificial intelligence and technology.

Neuralink Director Shivon Zilis. Image Credit: Social Media.

Following her previous ventures, the former project director of Tesla became a fellow at Creative Destruction Lab. It is a machine learning incubator at the University of Toronto. She has been a fellow and mentor since September 2015.

3. Graced Forbes 30 Under 30 List In 2015

Just at age 29, Zilis appeared on the 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 venture capitalists list.

Similarly, Shivon was also named among LinkedIn’s 35 under 35 some years after her Forbes achievement.

2. Neuralink Director Since 2017

After working for huge companies such as OpenAI, Tesla, and IBM, Zilis joined Neuralink in  2017. She is the current Director of Operations and Special Projects.

According to various sources, Neuralink Director Shivon Zilis reports directly to the company’s boss, Mr. Musk. However, Neuralink recently announced a minor setback.

Neuralink’s first chip patient, Nolan Arbaugh, was said to have suffered a thread retraction. However, Musk’s company later corrected the issue.

1. Mother of Twins With Musk

Yes, it is true. Shivon and Elon share twins together who were born in November 2021 through IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization). Their names are Strider and Azure.

When you’re Azure, everything is a climbing wall… pic.twitter.com/poiycA7wO7

— Shivon Zilis (@shivon) April 26, 2024

Musk and Shivon frequently spend time with their toddlers. According to several accounts, the twins’ middle names will be the father’s and mother’s respective last names.

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