Wall Street Journal Turns Tabloid to Dish on Elon Musk’s Alleged Affair With Wife of Google Founder Sergey Brin

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According to a gossipy feature published in the Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk’s friendship with Google co-founder Sergey Brin has disintegrated as a result of Musk’s alleged affair with Brin’s wife, leading to divorce filings.

Last fall, the Tesla chief engaged in an affair with the Google co-founder’s wife, Nicole Shanahan, claimed the article, causing a reported rift in their friendship amid divorce proceedings. When the affair occurred, Brin and Shanahan were separated but still living together, according to a source.

This comes as Musk has faced his own personal turmoil lately, with public spats with SpaceX employees over his Twitter antics, news breaking that he fathered twins with the executive of another of his companies last year, and his attempts to back out of a deal to acquire Twitter for $44 billion. A lawsuit has been officially filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery after Musk claimed he would terminate the agreement.

Most recently, the Tesla and SpaceX founder lost in his attempt to delay the lawsuit in order for his legal team to have more time to bring together a solid defense. Twitter employees have argued that Musk’s attempt to buy out Twitter and then back out of the deal has “destroyed the company.”

According to the Journal, Brin provided Musk with around $500,000 in funding for Tesla in the midst of the financial crisis of 2008.

However, as a result of the alleged affair, the two have drifted apart with tension growing between them. Brin has supposedly ordered his financial advisors to sell off his personal investments in companies that Musk owns.

In January of this year, Brin filed for divorce from Shanahan, citing “irreconcilable differences.” According to the feature, Brin was not aware of the affair between Shanahan and Musk at the time of his divorce filing. Sources close to the couple said they were facing problems in the marriage long before the affair.

The Journal also reported that Musk apologized to Brin at a party earlier this year, dropping to one knee begging for forgiveness. Brin reportedly acknowledged Musk’s apology but has not been speaking to him regularly since.

UPDATE 10: 30 pm ET: Musk called the story “total bs” in a tweet Sunday evening, writing that he and Brin were still friends and “were at a party together last night.” He specifically denied having an affair with Shanahan, tweeting that he had only seen her “twice in three years, both times with many other people around” and it was “[n]othing romantic.”

This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night!

I’ve only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022