Elon Musk has been accused of having an affair with Nicole Shanahan. Photo / Getty Images
Elon Musk has been accused of having an affair with Nicole Shanahan. Photo / Getty Images
Elon Musk has posted a photo of himself partying with Google co-founder Sergey Brin as he strongly denies allegations he had an affair with Brin's wife.
"Took this pic only two hours ago," Musk told the New York Post of the photo of him laughing while rubbing shoulders with his fellow billionaire.
The Tesla mogul strongly denied the widely-spread Wall Street Journal report that claimed a December fling was behind Brin's divorce.
"Nicole and Sergey's divorce has absolutely nothing to do with me," Musk insisted by email.
"I am sure both Nicole and Sergey would confirm that. I spoke with both Sergey and Nicole about this and they say the story isn't coming from them, so [it] must be a case of broken telephone, two or three layers removed," he said.
"And, not to dodge the question, I have only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around.
"We were not romantically involved in any way," he insisted.
The Tesla boss shared a similar message on Twitter while replying to a message claiming he "banged" Shanahan and was "apparently no longer friends" with Brin, who had propped up Tesla during the 2008 financial crisis.
"This is total BS," he tweeted.
"Haven't even had sex in ages (sigh)," Musk insisted on Twitter.
Sergey Brin (R) and Nicole Shannahan have filed for divorce and Elon Musk is being blamed for being part of it. Photo / Getty
When another follower asked if that included not having sex during his recent chest-baring vacation, he insisted, "Nope."
Musk dismissed the report as just the latest example of "character assassination attacks [that] have reached a new level this year."
"I work crazy hours, so there just isn't much time for shenanigans. None of the key people involved in these alleged wrongdoings were even interviewed!" he wrote. He suggested followers call out the Wall Street Journal, which "is supposed to have a high standard for journalism."
"WSJ should be running stories that actually matter to their readers and have solid factual basis, not third-party random hearsay," he wrote.
According to the report, Musk apologised for the alleged affair to Brin, getting down on one knee and begging for forgiveness.
It was alleged the affair took place at an art festival in Miami Beach last year.
The report alleged that Brin filed for divorce after learning his wife cheated on him with Musk.
The two tech titans have been longtime friends. Musk regularly crashed at Brin's Silicon Valley home — until the Tesla titan's alleged fling with Shanahan last year, the Wall Street Journal stated.
Brin and Shanahan still living together at the time of the alleged affair in December, but were separated, a person close to her told the Journal.
Brin, whose net worth is $143 billion, filed for divorce in January, citing "irreconcilable differences".
The move came several weeks after he found out Musk and Shanahan had hooked up, people familiar with the matter told the Journal.
It was reported that Brin also ordered his financial advisers to liquidate his investments in Musk's various companies amid growing tension between the billionaires.
Brin acknowledged Musk's professed remorse but still isn't speaking to him regularly, the sources added.
The fling reportedly took place in December at the annual Art Basel event, a multi-day fair featuring exhibitions by international galleries and panel discussions attended by deep-pocketed collectors — after Musk broke up with Canadian pop singer Grimes in September.
Shanahan's marriage to Brin was also strained at the time over problems related to Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns and the care of their daughter, people familiar with the relationship told the Journal.
Shanahan is reportedly seeking more than $2.24 billion from Brin and the pair are involved in divorce mediation proceedings.
They've been unable to strike a deal, with Brin's side saying Shanahan wants much more than a prenuptial agreement calls for and Shananan's side saying she signed the pact under duress while pregnant, it was reported.
