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 shared his EV choice in an interview with YouTuber Marques Brownlee, where he acknowledged Tesla’s (NASDAQ: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 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.”
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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.