• Elon Musk had an affair with Google co-founder Sergey Brin's wife, according to the Wall Street Journal.
  • Brin and Nicole Shanahan divorced in January of this year, shortly after Brin learned of the affair, the report states. 
  • Brin, a longtime friend of Musk, has pulled investments from the Tesla CEO's various companies in recent months. 

Elon Musk was reportedly involved in a romantic affair last fall with the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a long-time friend of Musk and a Tesla investor, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

The affair allegedly prompted Brin's divorce from Nicole Shanahan in January, WSJ reported. According to court filings, the two cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split and the filings were submitted just weeks after Brin learned of the affair, according to the Journal. 

A source close to the matter told the Journal that the relationship between Musk and Brin has been strained in recent months, and Brin instructed his financial advisers to sell his investments in the Tesla CEO's various businesses. Brin formerly invested $500,000 in Tesla in 2008. 

Nicole Shanahan (left) and Sergey Brin.
Nicole Shanahan (left) and Sergey Brin.
Ian Tuttle/Getty Images

Sources told the Journal that at the time of the affair — which reportedly began in December 2021 in Art Basel in Miami — Brin and Shanahan were separated, but still living together.

The sources said Brin and Shanahan were encountering difficulties in their marriage at the time, largely tied to stressors connected to COVID-19 and caring for their 3-year-old daughter. 

The affair also allegedly started when Musk and his girlfriend, Grimes, were broken up. Grimes and Musk have two children, including most recently a daughter who was born via surrogate the same month of the affair. 

The news comes after a particularly tumultuous few months for Musk in both his personal and professional life. Earlier this month, Insider's Julia Black reported that the billionaire quietly had twins last November with Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects for Neuralink, one of Musk's companies. 

His father, 76-year-old Errol Musk, also reportedly had a second child with his stepdaughter recently, and told The Sun that he's been asked to donate his sperm in order to reproduce more people like his son.  

Meanwhile, Musk is currently embroiled in a contentious legal battle with Twitter, after the Tesla CEO pulled out of his $44 billion deal to purchase the social media platform. In a letter filed by his lawyers, Musk claimed Twitter had now "met its contractual obligations," a claim the company has disputed and is now taking Musk to court. 

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.