Elon Musk denies affair with Sergey Brin’s wife Nicole Shanahan
By Anna Cooban, CNN Business
Elon Musk has denied having an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google’s co-founder, Sergey Brin.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk — a longtime friend of Brin’s — had a brief relationship with Shanahan in December 2021 while she and Brin were separated but still living together. The publication cited unnamed people close to the matter.
“I work crazy hours, so there just isn’t much time for shenanigans,” the Tesla boss said in a Monday tweet.
“None of the key people involved in these alleged wrongdoings were even interviewed!,” he added.
In an earlier tweet, Musk, the world’s richest man, described the report as “total BS” and said he and Brin were still friends — and had attended a party together the night before.
“I’ve only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic,” he added.
Brin filed for divorce from Shanahan in January due to irreconcilable differences, according to court documents filed in California seen by The Journal. He did so several weeks after discovering the affair, the publication said.
The two billionaires have been friends for many years, with Brin providing about $500,000 of funding for Tesla in 2008, when the company was struggling financially, the Journal said.
Musk reportedly dropped to one knee in front of Brin at a party earlier this year to ask for forgiveness over the affair, it added.
Musk, Brin and Shanahan did not immediately respond to CNN Business when reached for comment. Shanahan’s divorce lawyer also did not respond when contacted.
Brin stepped down as president of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, in 2019. He founded the search engine in 1998 with Larry Page. Both Brin and Page continue to serve on Alphabet’s board.
Musk’s troubles in the spotlight
Musk’s relationships, family affairs and legal trouble have become a growing part of the public conversation lately.
The Tesla and SpaceX boss is currently embroiled in a bitter legal fight with Twitter over his $44 billion acquisition deal. Musk had sought to buy the company but backed out earlier this month, accusing the social media company of failing to turn over vital information relating to the number of bots on its platform — a claim Twitter denies.
In May, Musk denied allegations that he sexually harassed a SpaceX flight attendant in 2016. In June, one of Musk’s children petitioned a California court to recognize her new name and gender, saying she no longer wishes to be related to her famous and wealthy father “in any way, shape or form.” And last month, Insider reported Musk welcomed twins last year with an executive at one of his companies, Neuralink.
Musk said Monday a tweet that “the character assassination attacks have reached a new level this year.”
— Clare Duffy contributed reporting.
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