Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Bill Gates says Elon Musk not yet a 'great philanthropist,' calls going to Mars a waste of money

Bill Gates says Elon Musk not yet a 'great philanthropist,' calls going to Mars a waste of money

The Microsoft founder said paying for vaccines is a 'more pressing' matter

Bill Gates took a few jabs at fellow billionaire Elon Musk in a new interview, saying he does not view the Tesla CEO as a "great philanthropist" at this point while dismissing the SpaceX founder's efforts to go to Mars as a waste of money.

The BBC asked the Microsoft co-founder in a recent sit-down whether he believes Musk will ever join the club of mega-rich donors like Gates, Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett, and Amazon's Jeff Bezos in pledging to give away most of their wealth.


Bill Gates attends the 2022 TIME100 Gala on June 08, 2022 in New York City. The Microsoft co-founder took a few shots at fellow billionaire Elon Musk in a recent interview.


"Yeah, I think someday he'll be a great philanthropist," Gates said of Musk, conceding, "Obviously, you know, things like Tesla are having a positive impact — even without being a form of philanthropy."

"But at the end of the day, I don't think he'll — other than going to Mars a few times … I don't think he'll spend it on himself," Gates continued. "So yeah, someday I think he will join the rank of philanthropists using his ingenuity."

Gates told BBC interviewer Amol Rajan that he does not believe Musk's mission to colonize the Red Planet is a good use of funds, saying providing vaccines to people in need should be a higher priority.

"It's actually quite expensive to go to Mars," Gates said. "You can buy measles vaccines and save lives for $1,000 per life saved, and so it just sort of grounds you, as in — don't go to Mars."

Musk and Gates have been at odds in the past.

Last year, Musk confirmed he turned Gates down on an offer to collaborate on philanthropic efforts to combat climate change, after leaked texts between the two showed Musk telling Gates he can't take him "seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change."

A short position is a bet against a stock.

Musk then trolled Gates with a vulgar tweet comparing a photo of the Microsoft co-founder to a pregnant man emoji. Musk later said he was "moving on from making fun of Gates for shorting Tesla while claiming to support climate change action."
Elon Musk attends The 2022 Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. 


But since then, Gates has also praised Musk, and said publicly that the Tesla CEO should not be underestimated following his $44 billion takeover of Twitter.

"You wouldn't want to underestimate Elon. What he did at Tesla is amazing, helping with climate change, what he did at SpaceX," Gates told the "Today" show in May 2022. "Will he, this time, make that improvement? … Elon thinks he can improve Twitter. Well, I don't know specifically what he'll do, but there's an opportunity and we need innovation in that space."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×