Bill Gates is not a supporter of Elon Musk. Earlier this month, Gates sharply criticized Musk's role in the Trump administration, particularly his decision to limit a program that provides aid to some of the world's poorest people, efforts that Gates has long been supporting with the Gates Foundation.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Gates criticized Musk's decision to shut down the US Agency for International Development. Gates argued that the overnight shutdown of a program that provides aid to millions of people all over the world put a large poor population in danger, especially children.
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” said Gates. “I’d love for him to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut that money."
Gates argued that Musk's influence in the Trump administration would also have a negative impact on the Gates Foundation, which has worked for decades to address global health and hopes to eradicate polio and other diseases at some point in the next 20 years.
More details about Gates and Musk's feud
The Gates and Musk feud dates back years, with both of them clashing due to their opposing ideologies. Gates spoke to Walter Isaacson, the writer of Musk's most recent biography, and said that Musk was more concerned with traveling to space than resolving any of the problems on Earth.
“He’s overboard on Mars,” said Gates, as reported by the Financial Times.
Isaacson also discussed a moment in 2022, when Musk and Gates clashed over philanthropy, with the two disagreeing on what to do with wealth. According to Musk, Gates could “do more good for climate change by investing in Tesla,” than by continuing his philanthropy efforts. Their exchanges concluded with Musk turning to Twitter, now X, to vent his frustrations, sharing an unflattering photo of Gates and prompting his followers to pile on with their comments.