In a billionaire showdown, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates accused Elon Musk of “killing children” through his political actions, leading to a heated debate between the two tech titans.
Gates revealed his plan to give away his entire $200 billion fortune by 2045, focusing on lifting the world’s poorest communities out of poverty.
According to Gates, his net worth will drop 99% over the next 20 years. He explains his decision to donate “virtually all” of his fortunes was inspired by Andrew Carnegie’s 1889 essay, “The Gospel of Wealth.”
Through accelerated giving, Gates hopes to end preventable deaths of moms and babies and lift millions of people out of poverty. However, he is concerned that efforts made by the Gates Foundation will be thwarted by major government moves that slashed funding and support to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the organisation responsible for fighting global hunger and disease.
USAID was rapidly dismantled in February by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which terminated more than 90% of USAID’s contracts for humanitarian and development work around the world.
Despite the devastating consequences for millions of people worldwide, Musk celebrated his success by sharing a boastful tweet about “feeding USAID into the woodchipper.”
Gates believes that these cuts could mean millions of children losing access to food, clean water, and life-saving medical care. He referred to Musk as the world’s richest man, with an estimated net worth of $345 billion.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk caught wind of Gates’ not-so-subtle attack and tweeted, “Gates is a huge liar,” implying that the gloves are officially off. The debate between Bill Gates, fighting poverty through donations and government partnerships, and Elon Musk, relying on innovation and free-market solutions to solve humanity’s biggest problems continues.
