In an amusing revelation from Walter Isaacson’s Biography “Elon Musk“An intense encounter between tech giants Bill Gates And Musk has been brought to light.
What happened: During their meeting in early 2022, as covered by CNBC, Gates sought to advise Musk on his recent $5.7 billion contribution to charity. Still, the atmosphere became tense when the pair visited Musk’s facility.
Gates questioned the feasibility of battery-powered semi-trucks and the significant contribution of solar power in addressing climate change, a sharp contrast to Musk’s stance. Tesla Inc, TSLA and spacex,
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The atmosphere became more tense when Gates admitted to shorting Tesla stock, which cost him $1.5 billion. Such a move was perceived by Musk, who has a well-known dislike of short-sellers, as a direct challenge to his mission of promoting sustainable energy.
Despite the tense conversation, Gates praised Musk for his pioneering innovations, while Musk slammed Gates for his double standards in the climate change fight. The episode offers a rare glimpse into the relationship between two leading tech figures.
An old Twitter conversation from June 2022 also surfaced, in which Musk rejected any joint venture with Gates on philanthropic or climate change projects. Musk’s argument focused on Gates potentially benefiting from the decline in Tesla stock.
Musk took issue with Gates’ dual stance: advocating for climate change solutions while belittling Tesla’s electric vehicle progress. Gates countered that Tesla has enough capital, praised its vehicles and indicated that his short position was not meant to hinder Musk’s objectives.
After news about the biography piece came to light, Elon Musk responded with a tweet referencing the story.
Musk humorously commented, “They don’t get enough negative feedback. This platform is great for that,” he said, highlighting his appreciation for the candor X has shown on Twitter in the past and the value he sees in receiving critical feedback.
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Read further: Elon Musk reportedly intended to merge OpenAI with Tesla before his departure in 2018, but couldn’t convince Sam Altman
Photos: Musk at the summit, Hagensburg Media via Wiki Creative Commons; Gates via Shutterstock
