Screenshots show: Bill Gates bets against Tesla – Musk retaliates with below-the-belt jokes

Created: 04/25/2022, 16:44

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

Bill Gates is at odds with fellow billionaire Elon Musk.

© Gian Ehrenzeller/KEYSTONE/dpa

Screenshots surfaced on Twitter over the weekend showing Microsoft founder Bill Gates betting against Tesla - and in doing so antagonizing its boss Elon Musk.

Austin – The rise in the share price of the electric car manufacturer Tesla in recent years has made founder and boss Elon Musk by far the richest person in the world.

The financial service Bloomberg currently estimates Musk's fortune in its billionaire ranking at $ 227 billion (200 billion euros).

Unlike his fellow billionaire and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Musk is not exactly known for philanthropic activities.

In addition to his share sales, the Tesla boss donated billions in Tesla shares last fall.

However, it is speculated that the donation mainly helped to reduce Musk's billion-dollar tax burden after the share sales.

Bill Gates apparently bets against Tesla - Musk is upset

Now a Twitter user has posted screenshots documenting a spicy exchange between Musk and Gates.

Musk confirmed the authenticity of the screenshots.

These document that the two billionaires had arranged a meeting over philanthropic matters - which Musk eventually broke up.

Apparently Gates, who is busy on charity issues, has arranged a meeting with Musk.

But then, according to the screenshots, Musk asks Gates if he owns half a billion dollars in short Tesla positions.

"I'm afraid I have to say that I haven't closed them yet," Gates replied, according to the screenshots, adding, "I'd like to talk about philanthropy opportunities." Background: With short positions in the stock market, an investor speculates on the falling stock market Price of a share - in other words, Gates is betting against the success of Tesla.

Musk replied, "Sorry, but I can't take your climate change philanthropy seriously when you're massively short on Tesla." Musk and Gates have had a history of disagreements over electric vehicles, but also over colonization of Mars and strategies to combat the corona pandemic.

The screenshots appear to be from Musk's smartphone.

Even though they didn't officially get on Twitter through him, he confirmed their authenticity.

Elon Musk releases joke pics about Gates

Musk followed up on Twitter over the weekend and published a joke about Bill Gates.

It shows the Microsoft billionaire compared to the male pregnant emoji and an erection-related remark that many Twitter users labeled "below the belt."

"Be careful," wrote one user.

"He

was also once the richest man in the world."

Gates, along with his ex-wife Melinda French Gates, owns the largest private charitable foundation in the world, which is primarily dedicated to fighting poverty and improving global health care - and has had some successes in doing so.

Gates has been in the headlines lately because of his contacts with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.