Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Bill Gates on Elon Musk feud and Jeffrey Epstein meetings

Bill Gates on Elon Musk feud and Jeffrey Epstein meetings

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Today programme, Bill Gates says conspiracy theories about him are "crazy" and that being shouted at in public is "awful". He also told the BBC's Mishal Husain that meeting Jeffrey Epstein was a "mistake" and talks about Elon Musk's recent public criticism of him.

Bill Gates used to be the world's richest person. That title is now held by Elon Musk. The two men, however, don't get on.

Last week Mr Musk accused Mr Gates of "shorting" Tesla stock - a way of making money by betting that a company will lose value. Mr Musk has also tweeted puerile insults towards Mr Gates on Twitter.

"There's no need for him to be nice to me," Mr Gates says.

Mr Musk has argued that shorting Tesla, a company that makes electric cars, undermines Mr Gates' environmental philanthropy.

Asked specifically about whether he had bet against Tesla, Mr Gates replied: "That has nothing to do with climate change. I have ways of diversifying."

He pushed back against the idea that shorting Tesla was environmentally damaging.

"The popularity of electric cars will lead to more competition for selling those cars. So there's a difference between electric cars being adopted, and companies becoming infinitely valuable."

Mr Musk has recently had a bid to buy Twitter accepted by the company's board.

Asked what he made of the deal, Mr Gates said: "You know, Elon, I guess it's possible Twitter could be worse. But it also could be better… So I have a wait and see attitude."

Mr Gates has a particular interest in social media, not because that's how he made his billions, but because he has become a focus of conspiracy theories.

He has long been an advocate of vaccines - and has pumped billions into inoculation programmes around the world.

That prominence has made him the subject of bizarre and unfounded claims that he is trying to track people through the jabs. Many of the theories have been promoted on social media platforms, and took off during the pandemic.

"In some ways, you almost have to laugh because it's so crazy," he says.

"I mean, do I really want to track people? You know, I spend billions on vaccines, I don't make money on vaccines, vaccines save lives."

Mr Gates also said he'd been shouted at by conspiracy theorists on the street.

An anti-lockdown activist in London


"Only recently I've been out in public, [and] some people yell at me that I'm tracking them. And that, that's an awful thing."

Mr Gates and his wife Melinda French Gates announced that they were getting a divorce last year. The couple set up the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - one of the largest charitable organisations in the world - and had been married for 27 years.

"My life is very different. My kids are gone from the house, the last one left for college a year ago. The divorce is very hard. It was a tough year," he says.

The marriage ended with reports that Mr Gates had had an extra-marital affair. In March Melinda Gates also said that she questioned why he had held meetings with disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him", she told CBS in March.

Asked about the meetings, Mr Gates described talking with Epstein as a "mistake".

"I made a mistake ever meeting with Jeffrey Epstein. You know, maybe her [Melinda's] instincts on that were keener than mine.

"Any meeting I had with him could be viewed as almost condoning his evil behaviour. So, that was a mistake."


Bill Gates: Conspiracy theorists yell at me on the street


Comments

Oh ya 3 year ago
Yes billy kids are out of bounds and least you exwife was smart enough to dump you

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×