Elon Musk Called Conversations With Bill Gates 'Underwhelming' After Fellow Tech Billionaire Shared He Bought An Electric Porsche, Not A Tesla

Elon Musk and Bill Gates don't exactly have the warmest relationship, and a certain Porsche purchase didn't help.

After Gates revealed he had bought a Porsche Taycan instead of a Tesla, Musk responded with a blunt post on X in February 2020: "My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh."

Gates Praises Tesla But Buys a Porsche

Gates shared his EV choice in an interview with YouTuber Marques Brownlee, where he acknowledged Tesla's TSLA major role in pushing electric vehicles forward. He admitted that while EVs still have some drawbacks, especially in range, passenger cars are "one of the most hopeful" ways to make sustainable transportation more accessible.

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That being said, Gates opted for a Porsche Taycan, which he described as "very very cool." He didn't specify which model, but the Taycan Turbo starts at $150,900, while the high-performance Turbo S goes for $185,000. The Turbo S boasts 750 horsepower and can hit 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds—so clearly, he wanted speed and luxury.

Musk made the "underwhelming" comment in response to a post from Tesletter that read: "I wonder why Bill Gates decided to go with the Taycan instead of a Tesla."

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Musk's Track Record of Calling Out Rivals

Musk's reaction wasn't exactly surprising. He has a history of publicly challenging fellow tech billionaires—whether it's taking jabs at Mark Zuckerberg's AI expertise, feuding with Jeff Bezos over space travel, or clashing with Gates over Tesla stock.

The Tesla CEO was especially frustrated when it surfaced that Gates had shorted Tesla stock, essentially betting against the company's success. In leaked text messages from 2022, Musk even rejected a potential philanthropic collaboration with Gates, saying, "Sorry, I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla."

Gates: "I Will Try and Work With Him"

Despite the friction, Gates hasn't ruled out collaborating with Musk. In an interview with The Independent earlier this month, Gates acknowledged their rocky history but still praised Musk's achievements.

"He's been nice to me at times, and mean to me at times," Gates said. "I will try and work with him because he's brilliant, he's rich, he's influential."

The Microsoft MSFT co-founder also recognized Tesla's impact:

"I'm in awe of the great work he did at SpaceX and Tesla. The fact that Tesla kind of forced the car industry to do great EVs is a gigantic contribution," Gates said.

While Gates and Musk have found common ground—like philanthropy and advancing tech—they clearly have their differences. Gates was once the world's richest person for a record 18 years, while Musk took the top spot in 2021. Their rivalry might not be personal, but it's definitely entertaining.

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