During The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stated that he has reservations about Elon Musk’s motivations for purchasing Twitter.
With social media being used as an avenue for misinformation, Gates noted that platforms such as Twitter should be used to prevent the spread of misinformation. This is where Gates’ reservations lie.
“He (Musk) actually could make it worse. It’s not totally clear what he is going to do,” Gates said.
Despite his doubts about Musk’s motivations, Gates admitted that the Tesla CEO’s track record has been very impressive. Gates took particular note of Musk’s accomplishments with SpaceX and Tesla, endeavors which the Microsoft co-founder described as “mind-blowing.”
Gates noted that he believes Musk had done a very good job of gathering impressive talent for his companies, though he doubts if the Tesla and SpaceX CEO will be able to accomplish the same feat on Twitter. That being said, Gates stated that it’s wise not to underestimate Musk.
“I kind of doubt that will happen this time, but we should have an open mind and never underestimate Elon,” Gates said.
Musk recently threw some shade towards Gates, especially as leaked text messages between the two billionaires — which the Tesla CEO confirmed were authentic — revealed that the Microsoft co-founder held a short position against TSLA.
Gates was asked about his Tesla position during The Wall Street Journal‘s CEO Summit, and though he did not provide a direct answer, he highlighted that climate change was a focus of the Gates Foundation.
“I don’t think whether one’s short or long Tesla is a statement about your seriousness about climate change. I applaud Tesla’s role in helping with climate change,” Gates said.
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