BILL GATES reveals moment ELON MUSK confronted him about shorting $1.5 billion worth of Tesla stock

Bill Gates and Elon Musk had a confrontational meeting in 2022 over Gates shorting $1.5 billion worth of Tesla stock, according to a new biography. Musk was upset and "super mean" to Gates during the meeting. The book also reveals Gates' criticism of Musk's beliefs on climate change and Mars colonization.

Bill Gates and Elon Musk's clash over Tesla stock has been revealed in a new biography of Musk written by Walter Isaacson. The incident occurred in September 2022 when Gates visited Musk's plant in Austin, Texas, to discuss philanthropy and climate change. However, Musk confronted Gates about his decision to short $1.5 billion worth of Tesla stock, publicly mocking him for claiming to support climate change action. Gates apologized for the move, but Musk remained upset and was described as being "super mean" to Gates. Despite this, Gates acknowledged that Musk is often mean to many people and not to take it personally.

Before the meeting, Musk initially responded to Gates' request by stating that he didn't have a scheduler or personal assistant and advised Gates to have his secretary contact him directly. However, Gates bypassed his secretary and arranged the meeting for March 9, 2022. During the visit, Musk gave Gates a tour of his factory in Austin, which impressed Gates. However, they still had much to debate.

When Isaacson asked Gates why he shorted the stock, Gates simply stated that he thought he could make money from it, a perspective that Isaacson found "alien" to Musk. Gates expressed his frustration with the contradiction between claiming to be passionate about fighting climate change and profiting from the failure of a sustainable energy car company like Tesla.

Grimes, Musk's ex-girlfriend and mother of his children, referred to the clash as a "little bit of a d**k-measuring contest." Gates also criticized Musk's belief in the ability of solar energy and batteries to solve climate change, as well as his ambition to colonize Mars. Gates described Musk's Mars thinking as "kind of bizarre," mentioning Musk's idea of people on Mars surviving a nuclear war on Earth and returning afterward.

In the past, Musk has also made derogatory comments about Gates, including mocking his physique on Twitter. Gates, the world's third richest man after Musk and Jeff Bezos, took a shot at Musk earlier this year when Tesla announced its $1.5 billion stake in Bitcoin. Gates expressed concern about people getting caught up in investment manias and advised caution, particularly for those with less money than Musk.

Gates has previously questioned the viability of electric trucks like the Tesla Semi, which Musk has countered. Musk also claimed that Gates had a large short position on Tesla stocks at one point, although this has not been confirmed.

Isaacson's biography of Musk, set to be released on Tuesday, promises to reveal further revelations about the entrepreneur.

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