Tesla CEO Elon Musk raged against creepy Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for shorting Tesla stock, questioning Gates’s commitment to environmental sustainability. The revelations come from a new book about Musk, in which he calls Gates an “asshole to the core” that is “categorically insane.”
Fortune reports that when two of the world’s richest men, Elon Musk and Bill Gates, share a tumultuous relationship that has been further strained by financial bets and contrasting philosophies.
The feud between Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, has been public knowledge for some time. But new details continue to emerge based on the publication of a Musk biography written by Walter Isaacson. These feud centers around an incident where Gates shorted Tesla stock, betting that the company’s value would go down based on Musk’s erratic leadership.
Elon Musk CEO of Tesla (FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty)
The two met in March 2022 at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin to discuss philanthropy, but the conversation took a bitter turn. “Once he heard I’d shorted the stock, he was super mean to me,” Gates told biographer Walter Isaacson. “But he’s super mean to so many people, so you can’t take it too personally.”
Musk’s take on the meeting was more blunt. He sent Isaacson a message reading, “At this point, I am convinced that he is categorically insane (and an asshole to the core). I did actually want to like him (sigh).”
Gates justified his bearish stance on Tesla by stating that he believed the supply of electric vehicles (EVs) would soon outweigh demand. For Musk, who views Tesla as a leading force in combating climate change, Gates’ actions were unforgivable. “How can someone say they are passionate about fighting climate change and then do something that reduced the overall investment in the company doing the most? It’s pure hypocrisy,” Musk expressed after the meeting.
The tension doesn’t end with financial bets. The two billionaires also have contrasting views on philanthropy and the future of humanity. Musk reportedly told Isaacson that philanthropy is “bullshit,” claiming that there’s only 20 cents worth of impact for every dollar donated. Gates, a well-known philanthropist, has not publicly responded to this claim.
Moreover, their visions for the future diverge significantly. Musk is famously fixated on colonizing Mars, a vision that Gates finds excessive. “I’m not a Mars person,” Gates shared. “He’s overboard on Mars. I let him explain his Mars thinking to me, which is kind of bizarre thinking.”
Perhaps Gates’ ideal travel destinations are more in line with his infamous former pal, Jeffrey Epstein.
Read more at Fortune here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan