Billionaire Bill Gates said in an interview last week that he is not a “Mars person” like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, saying he would rather continue to put his wealth into funding better nutrition and getting rid of diseases like malaria.
What Happened: “I am not a big Mars person,” Gates said in an interview with Ashley Christine published on YouTube on Friday while adding that he does not believe Earth’s neighboring planet is a “very hospitable place.”
Gates commended Musk and Bezos for their attempts at making space launches less expensive by reusing parts of the launch vehicle.
“That’s a pretty great contribution because there are things that you want to do in space like putting up communication satellites like the Starlink service…,” he said. While Musk is the founder of space tech company SpaceX, Bezos is the founder of Blue Origin.
However, Gates is unsure about enabling human existence in space or on Mars. “…we’re not sure can we can put solar panels in space can (or) we put data centers in space (or) can we do chemical Manufacturing in space…,” he said.
Why It Matters: This is not the first time that Gates has expressed a lack of interest in space exploration.
“I don't think rockets are the solution. But maybe I’m missing something there,” he said during an appearance on Kara Swisher’s “Sway” podcast in 2023.
Gates, Bezos, and Musk are among the top ten rich people around the globe. While Musk tops the chart with a total net worth of $402 billion, Bezos is in the third position with a total net worth of $249 billion and Gates in the seventh position with a total net worth of $165 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
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