(CNN Business) – Elon Musk has denied having an affair with Nicole Shanahan, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk, an old friend of Brin, had a brief affair with Shanahan in December 2021 while she and Brin separated but still live together. The post cited unknown persons close to the matter.
“I work crazy hours, so there’s not much time to cheat,” the Tesla chief said in a tweet on Monday.
He added, “None of the key people involved in these alleged misdeeds have even been interviewed!”
In an earlier tweet, Musk, the world’s richest man, called the report a “total PS” and said he and Brin were still friends and had attended a party together the night before.
He added, “I’ve only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with a lot of other people around me. Nothing romantic.”
Brin filed for divorce from Shanahan in January due to irreconcilable differences, according to California court documents seen by The Journal. The publication said he did so several weeks after discovering the relationship.
The two billionaires have been friends for many years, the newspaper said, with Brin providing about $500,000 in funding to Tesla in 2008, when the company was struggling financially.
He added that Musk got to his knees in front of Brin at a party earlier this year to apologize for the affair.
Musk, Brin, and Shanahan did not immediately respond to CNN Business when contacted for comment. Shanahan’s divorce attorney also did not respond when contacted.
Brin stepped down from the presidency of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, in 2019. He founded the search engine in 1998 with Larry Page. Brin and Page continue to work on the alphabet board.
Musk’s problems in the spotlight
Musk’s relationships, family affairs, and legal troubles have become an increasing part of the public conversation lately.
The president of Tesla and SpaceX is currently involved in a game A bitter legal battle with Twitter for the $44 billion acquisition deal. Musk tried to buy the company but backed out earlier this month, accusing the social media company of failing to provide vital information regarding the number of bots on its platform, a claim Twitter denies.
in May, Musk denied the accusations that he was sexually harassed To a SpaceX flight attendant in 2016.
In June, one of Musk’s children petitioned a California court to have her new name and gender recognized, saying that You no longer wish to be relevant With his famous and wealthy father “in any shape, shape or form”.
and last month, Business Insider reports that Musk has welcomed twins Last year with an executive at one of his companies, Neuralink.
“Defamation attacks have reached a new level this year,” Musk said in a tweet on Monday.
Claire Duffy contributed to the report.
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