Bill Gates Praises Elon Musk’s Intelligence and Contributions to Climate Change
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Bill Gates recently praised Tesla CEO Elon Musk, calling him “very, very smart” and expressing hope that Musk would focus more on climate change in the future. In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg News, the Microsoft founder acknowledged Tesla’s significant impact on combating climate change. “Tesla has a huge contribution to driving the car industry towards electric,” Gates said.
When asked about his disappointments regarding the SpaceX CEO, Gates commented, “He talks a lot. I hope he’ll talk more about climate. You know, he’s very, very smart. He’s made a contribution within that area that is super important.” Despite his hopes, Gates admitted he wouldn’t pressure Musk to speak on specific topics. “I don’t think he’ll listen to anybody telling him what to talk about. He’s unique, and he’ll talk about whatever he feels like,” he added.
The two billionaires have had their disagreements in the past. Previously, Gates had criticized the cost of Musk’s Mars endeavors, saying, “It’s actually quite expensive to go to Mars. You can buy measles vaccines and save lives for $1,000 per life saved.”
Their friction became more apparent in 2022 when Musk refused to support Gates’ charity after learning that Gates had bet half a billion dollars against Tesla’s stock. “Sorry. I cannot take your philanthropy on climate seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change,” Musk told Gates, as reported by the Daily Beast. Despite Gates’ apology, their discussions on philanthropy did not progress.
“Once he heard I’d shorted the stock, he was super mean to me, but he’s super mean to so many people, so you can’t take it too personally,” Gates said, reflecting on the incident. Musk, however, has consistently voiced his concerns about climate change. In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, he stated, “Climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI.
I keep telling people this. I hate to be Cassandra here, but it’s all fun and games until somebody loses a f—ing eye.” He further shared his motivation for starting Tesla, saying, “The fundamental intention of Tesla, at least my motivation, was to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy. That’s why I open-sourced the patents. It’s the only way to transition to sustainable energy faster.”
The Musk Foundation is actively involved in the XPrize Carbon Removal Program, which focuses on carbon removal competitions worldwide. “We want teams to build real systems that can make a measurable impact at a gigaton level. Whatever it takes. Time is of the essence,” Musk stated, outlining his goals. The Musk Foundation aims to fight climate change and restore Earth’s carbon cycle to normal levels.
In summary, while Gates and Musk have had their share of disagreements, both share a common goal of addressing climate change. Gates’ recent comments highlight Musk’s intelligence and contributions, while also expressing a desire for Musk to use his platform to further emphasize climate issues.
