Nicole Shanahan: The Story Behind Her Rise And Controversies

How Much is Nicole Shanahan Worth?

Let’s get straight to it—Nicole Shanahan’s net worth is a staggering $1 billion. Now, how did she get here? Well, a big chunk of that came from her marriage to Sergey Brin, one of the co-founders of Google. They tied the knot in 2018, but by 2022, their marriage came to an end. Their divorce was finalized in mid-2023, leaving Nicole with a substantial settlement. They share a daughter, who was born in 2018, adding another layer to their story.

But here’s where things get spicy. In July 2024, the Wall Street Journal dropped a bombshell, alleging that Nicole had an affair with none other than Elon Musk, Sergey’s longtime pal. This alleged drama, they claimed, was the reason for their split. We’ll dive deeper into that later, but for now, let’s just say it’s a Hollywood-worthy saga.

Adding another twist, in March 2024, Nicole was tapped as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate for the 2024 vice presidential campaign. Just a month prior, a Super PAC funded by Shanahan shelled out $5-7 million to produce a controversial ad supporting Kennedy. The ad aired during the Super Bowl and stirred up quite the controversy, reusing footage from JFK’s 1960s campaign. It caused quite the family drama for Kennedy, who later apologized for the ad.

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The Sergey Brin Chapter: Marriage and Divorce

Nicole and Sergey’s story begins in July 2014 at a yoga festival in Lake Tahoe. At the time, Nicole was engaged to tech investor Jeremy Asher Kranz. Fast forward a few weeks, and Nicole and Jeremy were married in September of that year. But here’s the kicker—they didn’t stay married long. Jeremy reportedly found out about Nicole’s alleged affair with Sergey just days before their wedding after spotting some questionable text messages. He filed for an annulment a mere 27 days after they said "I do." In their settlement, Nicole agreed to pay $20,000 to cover part of the wedding costs and legal fees. She also removed all photos of Jeremy from her social media accounts.

Fast forward to 2018, and Nicole and Sergey were officially married. But their union didn’t last long. Sergey filed for divorce in January 2022, citing reasons we’ll explore next. It’s widely believed that in their settlement, Brin handed over 2.6 million shares of Alphabet (Google) Class B shares, worth approximately $400 million today. She might have also received an equal amount of Class C shares, along with cash to cover her share of the homes they owned together in Lake Tahoe, Montana, Los Altos, and Malibu. All told, Nicole’s divorce settlement from Sergey Brin is thought to be worth a cool $1 billion.

The Elon Musk Drama: Fact or Fiction?

Remember when we mentioned the Wall Street Journal’s bombshell? Well, let’s unpack that. Nicole and Sergey were married from 2018 to 2022, and Sergey’s divorce filing became public in July 2022. But here’s the kicker—they officially separated on December 15, 2021, and Sergey filed for divorce just weeks later in January 2022. The WSJ claimed that the divorce was sparked because Sergey discovered Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk. Oof, right? And here’s the twist—they were separated but still living together. That must’ve been awkward.

This alleged affair reportedly went down at Art Basel in Miami in early December 2021. According to the WSJ’s sources, Elon and Nicole hooked up during the event, which took place from December 1 to 3. Elon, however, swiftly denied the allegations, even posting a photo of himself at a party that very same day standing a few feet away from Sergey, claiming they were still friends.

But wait, there’s more. The WSJ doubled down, saying they were confident in their sources. They even alleged that Elon later bumped into Sergey at a party in 2022, dropped to one knee, and begged for forgiveness. Sounds like something straight out of a movie, doesn’t it?

Here’s what Elon had to say about it:

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This is total bs. 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.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2022

Early Beginnings: Nicole’s Journey

Nicole Shanahan was born on September 26, 1985, in Placer County, California, and was raised in Oakland. Her late father was of German and Irish descent, and her mother is Chinese. In campaign interviews, Nicole has shared that her family relied on food stamps and government assistance at times, giving her a unique perspective on life’s struggles.

She attended Saint Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, California, claiming to have earned an athletic scholarship, though the school has since denied offering such scholarships. She then enrolled at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State, graduating in 2007 with degrees in Asian studies, economics, and Mandarin Chinese. After graduation, she worked as a paralegal and patent specialist before pursuing a law degree at Santa Clara University School of Law, which she completed in 2014.

Other Ventures: Beyond the Law

After law school, Nicole founded a legal tech company called ClearAccessIP. In 2020, she sold the company to IPwe for $10 million worth of the acquiring company’s stock. Unfortunately, IPwe filed for bankruptcy in 2024, but Nicole’s entrepreneurial spirit didn’t stop there.

Nicole and Sergey have a daughter named Echo, who is autistic. This experience led Nicole to question the common practice of childhood vaccines. In 2019, she founded a foundation called Bia-Echo with $23 million worth of Google shares provided by Sergey. She’s committed to investing $100 million into the foundation over time. Nicole is a vocal critic of in vitro fertilization and hopes to help older women become pregnant through unconventional medical methods. She’s also dedicated to finding a cure for autism, making her a force to be reckoned with in the world of philanthropy.