What does Bill Gates say about Elon Musk’s ambition to colonize Mars?

On the BBC, Bill Gates was asked if he thought Musk qualifies as a volunteer. Gates shared, he doesn’t think Musk is like that, but that may change in the future.

“Things like Tesla are making a positive impact, even if it’s not a form of charity. I think he will one day join the ranks of philanthropists through his ingenuity,” said the Microsoft co-founder.

He also questioned Musk’s vision of making Mars a colony. The aerospace company SpaceX is spending a lot of money on spacecraft and rockets in the hope of one day sending humans to the “red planet”.

When journalist Amol Rajan asked if going to Mars was a wise use of money, Gates was blunt: “I don’t think so.” According to the billionaire, funding the development of a vaccine is more useful than sending people to Mars. “Going to Mars is really expensive. You can buy a measles vaccine and save lives.”

Gates and Musk have frequently “clashed” over the years. In 2020, when Gates revealed he had just bought a Porsche electric car, one Twitter user asked: “I wonder why Bill Gates decided to buy Taycan instead of Tesla”. In response, Musk wrote: “Honestly, conversations with Gates were pretty disappointing.” Musk also suspects Gates of shorting Tesla stock.

(According to CNBC)