Nicole Shanahan, an American lawyer and politician, currently holds an estimated net worth of $1 billion. She accumulated the majority of her wealth following her marriage to and subsequent divorce from Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. The couple was married from 2018 until their divorce in 2022. Their separation was finalized in mid-2023, and they have one child together, a daughter born in 2018.
The Controversial Affair That Led to Divorce
In July 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported an alleged affair between Nicole Shanahan and Elon Musk, a close friend of her ex-husband Sergey Brin. According to the report, the affair played a significant role in the breakdown of her marriage. The story further claimed that the affair occurred during a period when Nicole and Sergey were still living together, despite being separated. These allegations added to the already public tension between the couple, leading to their eventual divorce.
Nicole Shanahan’s Role in Politics and Advocacy
Nicole’s professional pursuits have expanded beyond her legal and entrepreneurial ventures. In March 2024, she was announced as the vice presidential running mate for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the 2024 U.S. presidential race. A month earlier, a Super PAC backed by Nicole had spent between $5 to $7 million producing a controversial ad for Kennedy’s campaign. The ad aired during the Super Bowl and featured archival footage from John F. Kennedy’s 1960s campaign, which led to an apology from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after backlash from his family.
The Beginnings of Nicole and Sergey’s Relationship
Nicole Shanahan and Sergey Brin first met in July 2014 at a yoga festival in Lake Tahoe. At that time, Nicole was already engaged to tech investor Jeremy Asher Kranz. She and Jeremy married in September of the same year, just weeks after the yoga retreat. Sergey, meanwhile, was in the process of separating from his first wife, Anne Wojcicki, the founder of 23andMe.
Soon after their initial meeting, Nicole and Sergey reportedly began an affair. Her fiancé, Jeremy, allegedly discovered the affair just days before their wedding after finding text messages on Nicole’s phone. As a result, he annulled their marriage just 27 days after tying the knot. In the settlement, Nicole paid $20,000 to cover part of the wedding expenses and agreed to remove all photos of Jeremy from her social media accounts.
The Divorce Settlement and Sergey’s Assets
The relationship between Nicole and Sergey continued for several years, culminating in their marriage in 2018. However, in January 2022, Sergey filed for divorce, citing reasons that were later connected to the alleged affair with Elon Musk. Their divorce was finalized in mid-2023, and in the settlement, it was revealed that Sergey transferred approximately 2.6 million shares of Alphabet (Google’s parent company), which were valued at about $400 million. Additionally, Nicole may have received an equal number of Class C shares, alongside cash assets to cover their jointly owned homes in places like Lake Tahoe, Montana, Los Altos, and Malibu.
While the exact total is not publicly confirmed, it is widely believed that Nicole Shanahan’s divorce settlement from Sergey Brin amounted to around $1 billion.
Elon Musk Affair Allegations: The Wall Street Journal Report
In the months following the divorce filing, the Wall Street Journal published an explosive in July 2022, suggesting that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk. The report claimed that the affair took place while Nicole and Sergey were still living together, though they were separated at the time. This alleged affair was particularly because of the close friendship between Sergey and Elon, who had known each other for years. Sergey had even been one of the earliest investors in Tesla, Musk’s electric vehicle company.
According to the Journal, the affair occurred in December 2021 during Art Basel in Miami, a renowned art event that took place from December 1 to 3. Despite the allegations, Elon Musk quickly denied any wrongdoing, posting a photo of himself standing near Sergey at a party shortly after the news broke. The Wall Street Journal stood by its report, confirming the sources of their information.
Further investigation into Elon Musk’s private jet usage by a now-banned Twitter account, @ElonJet, revealed that Musk’s Gulfstream G650 flew from Austin, Texas, to Miami around December 1, 2021, matching the timeline of the alleged affair. Musk’s jet remained in Miami for several hours before returning to Texas.
The affair’s fallout reportedly led to an awkward moment in 2022 when Musk supposedly apologized to Sergey Brin at a party. According to reports, Musk dropped to one knee in front of Brin and begged for forgiveness.
Nicole Shanahan’s Early Life and Education
Nicole Shanahan was born on September 26, 1985, in Placer County, California. Raised in Oakland, California, she was raised by a mother of Chinese descent and a German-Irish father. In interviews, she has shared that her family sometimes relied on food stamps and other forms of government assistance. Nicole attended Saint Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, California, where she claimed to have received an athletic scholarship, although the school later denied offering such scholarships.
After high school, she enrolled at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State, graduating in 2007 with a degree in Asian studies, economics, and Mandarin Chinese. Following her graduation, Nicole worked as a paralegal and patent specialist before deciding to pursue a law degree at Santa Clara University School of Law, where she earned her J.D. in 2014.
Entrepreneurial Ventures and Advocacy
After completing law school, Nicole founded ClearAccessIP, a legal tech company. In 2020, she sold the company to IPwe, a competitor in the intellectual property space, for $10 million worth of IPwe stock. However, IPwe filed for bankruptcy in 2024.
In addition to her legal career, Nicole has become a vocal advocate for several causes. She is the founder of Bia-Echo, a criminal justice and fertility foundation, which she established with $23 million worth of Google shares provided by Sergey Brin. The foundation aims to help older women achieve pregnancies through unconventional methods and also hopes to contribute to finding a cure for autism. Nicole has pledged to invest $100 million into the foundation over time.
Personal Life and Advocacy for Autism Awareness
Nicole and Sergey Brin’s daughter, Echo, who was born in 2018, is autistic. Nicole has spoken openly about how her daughter’s diagnosis sparked a deeper interest in medical issues such as childhood vaccines. Her foundation, Bia-Echo, focuses on a wide range of social causes, including autism research and women’s health, with Nicole dedicated to making a positive impact on these important issues.
Nicole Shanahan’s journey, from her upbringing in California to her successful career in law, business, and politics, underscores her determination and commitment to shaping change in society. While her personal life has garnered much attention, her ongoing efforts to support social causes are integral to her identity.
