Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said in a recent interview with the BBC that buying measles vaccines would be a better use of fellow billionaire Elon Musk’s money than trying to colonize Mars (via CNBC).
When asked if he believed the Tesla CEO counts as a philanthropist, Gates said he didn’t think so — but that may change in the future.
“Things like Tesla are having a positive impact, even without being a form of philanthropy,” Gates said. “I think someday he will join the rank of philanthropists using his ingenuity.”
Gates isn’t really convinced of Musk’s off-world ambitions, however. “It’s actually quite expensive to go to Mars,” he said. “You can buy measles vaccines and save lives for a thousand dollars per life saved.”
https://twitter.com/cb_doge/status/1621595349843591169
“It just kind of grounds you. Don’t go to Mars.”
Musk wants to put people on Mars and colonize the Red Planet, eventually enabling interplanetary travel. SpaceX, the Musk-led rocketry and space transportation company, is aiming to ferry humans to Mars “within a decade.”
This is far from the first time Musk and Gates have butted heads. The latter’s short position on Tesla stock became a sharp bone of contention between the two billionaires, with Musk speculating last year that Gates needed $1.5-2 billion to close out his bet against Tesla.
Gates said in September 2020 that comparing Musk to Steve Jobs was a “gross oversimplification.” On the flip side, the tech mogul has also said on the record that “we need more Elon Musks.”
