Elon Musk has once again taken a shot at Bill Gates, calling out the former Microsoft CEO over his short position against Tesla. Musk claimed that Gates had placed a massive short bet on the electric vehicle company, which may have cost him more than $10 billion by now.
The tension between the two tech moguls dates back several years. Gates had confessed to Musk in a text message that he still held a short position on Tesla, even as he reached out to Musk to discuss potential philanthropic collaborations. Musk, however, expressed disbelief, especially given that Gates was profiting from the potential failure of the very company that was leading the charge in electric vehicles (EVs).
Musk, who recently saw his net worth surpass $600 billion, has used these moments to remind everyone of the history between him and Gates. He recently posted a comment noting that if Gates still held the short position, he would have lost an estimated $10 billion by now. This comment came just after Musk became the first person in history to reach a net worth of $600 billion, largely driven by a surge in Tesla’s stock, especially following the news of Robotaxi tests with no passengers.
Earlier this year, Musk had warned Gates to close out his short position, which had been in place for around eight years. In a post from November, Musk suggested that Gates should act fast if he hadn’t already ended the bet, following the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s decision to dump a significant portion of its Microsoft shares.
The feud has not been limited to financial matters. Gates has also criticized Musk’s involvement in U.S. government affairs, particularly his stance on proposed cuts to USAID funding. Gates described these cuts as potentially disastrous, claiming they could result in millions of additional child deaths. Musk, in turn, labeled Gates a “huge liar” in response to these comments.
As of now, it remains unclear whether Gates still maintains his short position against Tesla.
