Tesla’s CEO’s affair with the wife of Google co-founder Larry Page led to a divorce filing.
According to those acquainted with the situation, Elon Musk had a brief liaison with Sergey Brin’s wife last fall, forcing the Google co-founder to file for divorce earlier this year and terminating their long friendship.
Even as he juggles economic obstacles, such as Tesla Inc. manufacturing disruptions and a legal battle over his wish to abandon his $44 billion bid for Twitter Inc., Mr. Musk has suffered a litany of personal issues.
Globally, Elon Musk has a net worth of $240 billion, while Sergey Brin has a fortune valued at $95 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.
Brin and Musk, two of the country’s most prominent entrepreneurs, have known each other for a long time. Mr. Brin’s residence in Silicon Valley has long been a regular resting place for Mr. Musk.
During the 2008 financial crisis, when Tesla was trying to raise production, Mr. Brin gave Mr. Musk around $500,000 for Tesla. Mr. Brin received one of Tesla’s first all-electric sport utility cars from Mr. Musk in 2015.
Sources tell us that there has been a rise in animosity between the two men and their respective squads over the last few months. Some people close to Mr. Brin claim that he has instructed his financial advisors to sell his personal assets in Mr. Musk’s enterprises. No one knows how much money has been invested in these projects, or if any sales have taken place.
In January of this year, Mr. Brin filed for divorce wife Nicole Shanahan, citing “irreconcilable disagreements,” according to court records. According to those persons, Mr. Brin filed for divorce a few weeks after he learnt of the brief affair.
In early December, a close friend of Ms. Shanahan claims that Mr. Brin and his wife had separated but were still living together. Mr. Brin listed the date of the couple’s separation as December 15, 2021 in the divorce file.
Mr. Brin’s lawyer refused to comment. A request for comment from NBC News was not returned by Mr. Musk. In addition, a representative for Ms. Shanahan’s foundation, which is dedicated to reproductive justice, didn’t reply to inquiries for comment on the matter.