Accusation of child murder Gates vs. Musk - the biggest dispute between the super-rich escalates
The richest man in the world cuts aid to the poorest - says Bill Gates about Elon Musk. The accusation marks a new level of escalation in the public exchange of blows between two men who could hardly be more different.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In an interview, Bill Gates publicly accuses Elon Musk of endangering the lives of poor children by cutting development aid programs as head of USAID.
- The background is a personal and ideological rift: Gates criticized Musk's donation behavior, Musk countered with ridicule and later with Epstein allusions via X.
- The conflict symbolizes a fundamental clash of values and power between two mindsets.
The duel is personal, public - and explosive: Bill Gates has sharply attacked the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, on the open stage. In an interview with the Financial Times, the Microsoft founder said: "The richest man in the world killing the poorest children in the world is not a pretty picture."
A sentence that sticks. And a frontal attack that is unparalleled in the tech world. Gates - himself a billionaire, philanthropist and long-time health campaigner - indirectly accuses Musk of endangering lives, especially those of children. This is reported by theNZZ.
Musk turns off the tap on development aid
The scandal was triggered by the fact that Musk, as head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which was placed under his control by Trump's appointment, cut off funding for global health projects. These include initiatives against polio and malaria, in which the Gates Foundation is heavily involved. For Gates, this is a low blow to his life's work - and to millions of endangered children's lives worldwide.
Just a few years ago, Musk was a fan of Gates and had his companies work with Microsoft software. But in 2022 there was a rift - documented by Musk biographer Walter Isaacson. Gates personally traveled to a Tesla plant to convince Musk to donate more to charity.
But the meeting ended in a fiasco: Gates doubted Musk's visions of Mars, Musk accused Gates of betting on a fall in Tesla's share price. The breach of trust was complete.
Low blows to X - and new levels of escalation
A short time later, Musk publicly lashed out at Gates, mocking his character as a "pregnant trans man". Now comes Gates' retort - with an accusation that could hardly be more serious.
Musk did not respond directly, but spread old Epstein rumors against Gates via X - the former Twitter. Gates had met the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein several times - Musk is now using this connection to cast Gates himself in a dirty light.
Two visionaries, two worlds
What makes this dispute so upsetting is that Gates and Musk represent two completely different world views.
Gates, the conventional benefactor, believes in vaccinations, education, hygiene - and the fight against real diseases in the here and now.
Musk, the visionary disruptor, dreams of life on Mars, AI, space travel and saving humanity through technology.
Both claim to have the good of humanity in mind. But their methods could hardly be more different.
