When Microsoft founder Bill Gates called Elon Musk 'super mean'

Microsoft founder Bill Gates once said that Elon is “super mean” and that he can not be taken ‘too personally’. The remark was made by Gates in Walter Isaacson’s 2023 biography of the Tesla CEO, highlighting what can be considered as one of the most high-profile billionaire feuds in recent memory. Fallout between Bill Gates and Elon Musk started when the former held a short position against Tesla. It has since turned into a public clash over climate, philanthropy, and global aid.

Bill Gates told Isaacson that he had shorted Tesla stock, a move that angered Elon Musk. In private text messages later made public, Musk asked Gates if he still held a "$500 million short position against Tesla." To this Gates replied, "Sorry to say I haven't closed it yet. I would like to discuss philanthropy possibilities."

In a straight reply, Musk rejected the outreach. "Sorry, I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change," he reportedly responded.

Soon after, Elon Musk posted a meme mocking Gates’ appearance. That post marked a turning point, as the disagreement moved from finance to something more personal — and public.

Bill Gates will go bankrupt if…: Elon Musk

In a post last year, Musk warned that Bill Gates might go bankrupt if Tesla becomes “the world’s most valuable company by far,” reigniting the feud over Gates’ short position against the electric vehicle giant.

For those unaware, Short position refers to a stock market strategy where an investor borrows shares of a stock they do not own, sells them on the open market, and aims to buy them back later at a lower price. The goal is to profit from a decline in the stock's price.