The bitter public feud between tech giants Elon Musk and Bill Gates has escalated, as Gates blames Musk for cutting off aid to vulnerable populations—while Musk counters by questioning Gates’ moral authority over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Gates recently accused Musk of contributing to “millions of potential deaths” by slashing the budget of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Speaking to The New York Times Magazine and Financial Times, the Microsoft co-founder said the cuts—carried out under the Trump-backed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where Musk holds influence—have gutted key global health initiatives.
“These programs were preventing HIV, polio, measles—saving lives,” Gates said. He cited one case in Gaza Province, Mozambique, where funding reportedly ended for a hospital that had been helping stop mother-to-child HIV transmission.
But Musk didn’t hold back in his response. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO dismissed Gates' claims as “completely false” and called him a “huge liar.”
More pointedly, Musk brought up Gates’ relationship with Epstein. “Who does Bill Gates think he is to lecture anyone about the welfare of children, given that he was very close with Jeffrey Epstein?” Musk said. “I wouldn't want that guy to babysit my kid.”
Musk has repeatedly demanded that Gates provide hard evidence that DOGE’s cuts are killing children. “Show us any evidence whatsoever. It’s false,” he stated.
Gates’ connection to Epstein has been the subject of public scrutiny for years. According to The New York Times, the two met multiple times in 2011—well after Epstein had served jail time and registered as a sex offender. In one leaked email following a visit to Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, Gates wrote: “A very attractive Swedish woman and her daughter dropped by and I ended up staying there quite late.”
Gates has since acknowledged the meetings were a mistake and denied any deeper relationship with Epstein. He has repeatedly said he hoped Epstein could help raise philanthropic funds, but those efforts never materialized.
The current clash spotlights the stark contrast between two billionaires with global influence: Gates argues for sustained U.S. foreign aid to combat disease and poverty, while Musk, now operating within the Trump administration, is pushing for government efficiency and massive spending cuts.
At its core, the fight isn’t just about aid budgets—it’s about legacy, moral credibility, and the power these men wield in shaping the lives of people far beyond Silicon Valley.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. T...
The German broadcaster says energy, trade, transport and regional stability are transforming relations between Baku and Berlin....
Aid organisations in Afghanistan are struggling to keep women in work as Taliban restrictions force them to spend more on male guardians, transport an...
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The German broadcaster says energy, trade, transport and regional stability are transforming relations between Baku and Berlin.
The Trump administration is pressing ahead with new immigration rules that will impose fixed time limits on visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists, tightening requirements for thousands of people who study and work in the U.S.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, highlighting continued U.S.-Russian cooperation in space despite wider geopolitical tensions.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
The Trump administration is pressing ahead with new immigration rules that will impose fixed time limits on visas for foreign students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists, tightening requirements for thousands of people who study and work in the U.S.
Keir Starmer has reaffirmed that the UK's "unwavering" support for Ukraine will continue, during his final visit to the country as Prime Minister.
Two British hackers who carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the transport authority £29 million to remediate have been jailed for a total of 11 years.
At least 11 people have been killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, state media reported. The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the institution in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svetlana Maksimovic and Ljubisa Karovic had just settled into a flight with the airline last week, when a loud bang pierced the hum of engines.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment