Bill Gates gives Musk a spending lesson.
According to the Microsoft CEO, a true philanthropist would forego Mars fantasies in favour of vaccinations.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates feels Elon Musk's self-proclaimed mission to rescue mankind from extinction by colonizing Mars is a poor use of his riches, which he believes would be better spent on aims such as universal vaccination to save people's lives on Earth.
Gates said that he does not consider Musk to be a true philanthropist, although admitting in a BBC interview published on Friday that some of his ventures, such as the electric car business Tesla, "are having a beneficial effect."
"I hope he'll join the ranks of philanthropists utilizing his creativity someday," Gates remarked, since "at the end of the day," he can't possibly spend all of his money on himself, "except than travelling to Mars a few times, which could cost a little bit."
Gates contended that there are more serious concerns confronting mankind than a Mars trip, such as universal immunization. "Going to Mars is really pretty costly," he stated in the interview. "You can get measles immunizations and save a life for $1,000. It just roots you, as in "don't travel to Mars."
The two billionaires have had a fractious relationship in recent years, and this is not the first time Gates has gone on the offensive against SpaceX's founder. According to media reports in May, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spent millions to try to prevent Musk from purchasing Twitter.
In response, the new Twitter owner accused Gates of hypocrisy. "Sorry, but I cannot take your climate change charity seriously when you have a large short position in Tesla," Musk said in a leaked private chat that was subsequently proved to be genuine.
Musk has made no secret of his goal for humanity to inhabit Mars, claiming that it is the only way the species would avoid extinction. Musk described his aim of launching thousands of Starship rockets to Mars by 2050 in a 2022 TED interview, calling them "modern Noah's Arks," despite the fact that the spaceship is still in the testing phase.