Did Tesla Chief Elon Musk play a part in Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s divorce?

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has quietly divorced his wife, Nicole Shanahan, allegedly owing to her affair with billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, reported Page Six.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin divorces his wife amid allegation that she had an affair with Tesla chief Elon Musk. Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

According to court records, the divorce was officially finalised on May 26.

The couple will now share legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old daughter.

Brin married Nicole Shanahan, an attorney and entrepreneur, in November 2018, reported Business Insider.

While Shanahan did not contest the divorce, she did request spousal support from the court, as stated in the court documents.

They resolved other matters, including attorney fees and asset distribution, through private arbitration, the details of which will remain confidential.

It's worth noting that Brin and Shanahan began dating in 2015, the same year Brin concluded his divorce from his first wife, Anne Wojcicki.

In 2022, Brin filed for divorce citing ''irreconcilable difference''.

The New York Post reported that Brin’s move came after his wife allegedly had a brief affair with Musk, with whom he had been friends for years.

The couple had separated in December 2021.

Both Musk and Shanahan have called the allegation false.

''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,'' he wrote on X on July 25, 2022, in response to a Wall Street Journal article titled ''Elon Musk's Friendship With Sergey Brin Ruptured by Alleged Affair''.

Meanwhile, Shanahan has called the allegation “utterly debilitating” and that Musk has only been a friend.

''Did Elon and I have sex, like it was a moment of passion, and then it was over? No. Did we have a romantic relationship? No. We didn't have an affair,'' she claimed in July.

Despite the denial by Musk and Shanahan, the Wall Street Journal has said that they are ''confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting.''

The 50-year-old co-founder of Google is currently ranked as the ninth wealthiest person globally, possessing a net worth of $118 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Shanahan, who is 34 years old, is a California-based lawyer and serves as the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, as indicated by her LinkedIn profile.