For Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the latest actions of his fellow billionaire and tech industry CEO, Elon Musk—who has now become an advisor to Donald Trump—have not gone unnoticed. Gates described Musk’s support for the far right and his attempts to destabilize political situations in other countries as “insane shit.” He also called for nations to introduce measures against “super-rich” individuals who try to distort elections.
Gates’ comments, made in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, come after Musk launched a series of accusations against British politicians, alleging they covered up rape cases from over a decade ago. Gates also criticized Musk’s endorsement of extremist figures, such as his suggestion that British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson should replace right-wing leader Nigel Farage, a prominent Brexit supporter. “You want to promote the right, but you say Nigel Farage isn’t right-wing enough,” Gates remarked.
Although Gates acknowledged that Musk is “superintelligent,” he accused him of overstepping boundaries. While Musk invested $277 million in Trump’s 2024 campaign and other Republican candidates, Gates contributed $50 million to Kamala Harris’ campaign. “It’s hard to understand why someone who has car factories in both China and Germany (…) is so obsessed with these stories from the UK,” he said.
Musk recently sparked controversy by making a Nazi-style salute at an event following Trump’s inauguration. Additionally, last weekend, he made a surprise appearance at a rally for Germany’s far-right, anti-immigration party AfD in the eastern city of Halle, ahead of Germany’s federal elections in February. During the event, Musk defended nationalist sentiment, saying, “There’s nothing wrong with feeling proud to be German.”
Lastly, Gates admitted that he had more meetings with Trump in the Oval Office during his first presidency than with Joe Biden. “Whoever manages to get President Trump excited about the right things, that’s the work of God,” he reflected.