Given all of the amazing things Elon Musk has done and continues to do at companies like Tesla and SpaceX, it’s no surprise that Musk has amassed something of a cult following in recent years. For many Musk enthusiasts, the man can do no wrong no matter how outlandish his behavior can sometimes be.
There’s no denying that Musk is hyper intelligent and one of the more influential figures of our time, but at the same time, he’s also remarkably and surprisingly petty. Just recently, Musk threw a few jabs at Microsoft founder Bill Gates after the former Microsoft CEO revealed that he purchased a Porsche Taycan instead of a Tesla.
In a short but sweet interview with Marques Brownlee, Gates praised Tesla for helping popularize the adoption of electric cars while briefly noting that he’s a Taycan owner.
“I just got a Porsche Taycan, which is an electric car, and I have to say, it is a premium-priced car, but it is very cool,” Gates said. “That’s my first electric car and I”m enjoying it a lot.”
Incidentally, Gates mentioned that range anxiety was perhaps still a limiting factor preventing the mass adoption of electric cars.
When Musk was made aware of Gates’ comments via someone on Twitter, he couldn’t help but be exceptionally snarky. “My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh,” Musk said. And naturally, the replies to Musk’s tweet were mostly Tesla supporters who were curiously all too willing to make fun of Gates and blast his previous accomplishments. They were also quick to point out that Gates has been a big Porsche fan for years.
My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2020
Of course, Musk’s behavior here shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. He has a tendency to speak without thinking, which is why he found himself in a world of trouble with the SEC in 2018 when he tweeted that he had secured funding to take Tesla private for $420/share.
A few years earlier, Musk said that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s understanding of AI was limited.
I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2017
Say what you will about Elon Musk, but there’s no denying that he keeps things interesting. And truth be told, in an era where most tech CEOs tend to take measures to avoid any type of controversy whatsoever, it’s somewhat refreshing to have someone as influential as Musk actually speak his mind. Indeed, that’s one of the reasons why people gravitated towards Steve Jobs, a man who also wasn’t afraid to take jabs at companies and prominent tech figures.
