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.”
Bill Gates slams Elon Musk's space ambitions as a 'waste of money' because he could be putting billions into buying 'measles vaccines and save lives' instead of going to Mars. 🤦♂️
Hey @elonmusk please send this guy on a one way trip to Mars 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0CbYSLUwWO
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) February 3, 2023
“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.”
