Bill Gates on Elon Musk: “I talked to Elon recently, he talks a lot, I hope he talks more about climate”

In a recent Bloomberg interview, former Microsoft CEO and fellow billionaire Bill Gates discussed climate change and Elon Musk’s declining role in that conversation.

Bill Gates’ comments follow years of confrontation between the two inventors, which began when news broke that Bill Gates had bet billions of dollars predicting Tesla would fail.

The disagreement between Musk and Gates escalated further when the former Microsoft CEO said that Semi-trucks, given their weight and the distance they travel, do not lend themselves to electric propulsion systems.

However, this contrasts with Tesla’s ambitious plans. The company recently broke ground and is making rapid progress on an electric semi factory that promises to revolutionize the industry, producing 50,000 Tesla Semis per year.

Returning to the interview, the interviewer asks Bill Gates: “In the fight against climate change, one of the other people most associated with green technology is Elon Musk. Do you talk to him much these days?”

In response, Gates says, “I spoke with Elon recently. I went to an event called The Breakthrough Prize in Los Angeles. I welcomed it, but ahem, Tesla is making a huge contribution to driving the auto industry towards electric vehicles.”

The interviewer continues: “On Tesla, more than anyone else, Elon showed that green technology and solutions can be interesting and exciting. Disappointed that Elon doesn’t seem to be talking about the climate much these days? It is somewhat moved. He’s more interested in talking about the culture wars and other issues.”

Bill Gates, in response, chuckling, says: “Talk a lot. I hope it talks more about the climate. He is very intelligent. He has made a contribution in this area, which is very important.”

Interviewer, “When he talks about the climate, what do you want him to say? Gates: “I don’t think he’s going to listen to anybody telling him what to talk about, so he’s unique and he’ll talk about whatever he wants.”

During his interview, Bill Gates and the host echoed the sentiment of the wider Tesla community that Musk has become less interested in Tesla since acquiring Twitter in 2022.

Before Musk bought the social media platform, most of his attention was focused on the advancement of electric vehicles and he was one of the strongest advocates of the transition to sustainable energy.

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However, as the interviewer pointed out, Musk in recent years has been more interested in talking about cultural issues.

Given Bill Gates’ more reserved demeanor, at least compared to Elon Musk, the former Microsoft CEO didn’t come out and criticize Musk, but he did convey his desire for Musk to talk more about climate change.

Since Elon Musk is Tesla’s largest shareholder, with more than 20% of the company’s ownership, it is surprising that Musk does not bring up the issue of climate change.

It is reasonable to assume that Musk is distracted by his various ventures and must balance various interests before deciding to put Tesla first.

However, in Musk’s defense, the Tesla CEO’s relative silence on climate change and electric vehicles could be related to his belief that EV technology can compete with internal combustion vehicles without subsidies.

Musk likes to say that Tesla aims to make not only the best electric vehicles, but the best vehicles with any powertrain. If Musk succeeds in creating the best vehicles in the world, it stands to reason that he doesn’t need to use the issue of climate change to sell more cars.

That said, it’s still surprising to see how little public attention Elon Musk pays to Tesla and the policies affecting electric vehicles.

The optimist in me likes to think that maybe Musk thinks Tesla has succeeded as a company and no longer needs his constant support to save it from bankruptcy.

Overall, while given the opportunity to criticize Musk, it’s good to see Bill Gates holding back and injecting some civility into the conversation between himself and his Tesla counterpart.

Currently, this is all the information we have about Musk, Gates and Tesla. However, we’ll be sure to keep you updated when we get an update on the story. Until then, be sure to visit our website, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

So what do you think? Are you surprised to see Bill Gates’ comments about Elon Musk? Also, do you think Musk abandoned Tesla after buying Twitter? Tell us your thoughts in the comments by clicking the red “Add a new comment” button below.

Image: Screenshot from Bloomberg’s interview with Bill Gates

For more information, see: 24 hours after I got my Tesla Cybertruck, my wife waved her hands and smashed the Cybertruck’s windshield with her wedding ring

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything Tesla, from cars to Elon Musk, the energy business and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.