Microsoft co-founder and noted philanthropist Bill Gates has lashed out in an extraordinary attack on Elon Musk and his activities with Donald Trump’s Doge.
Bill Gates used an interview with the New York Times to issue a sharp remark about Elon Musk, saying funding cuts to USAID will likely cause childhood deaths worldwide to increase.
And Bill Gates pointed to Musk’s alleged involvements in these future deaths.
Elon Musk for his part has already admitted to “blowback” for his role at Doge, which he has blamed for Tesla’s cratering sales figures in European and other markets. And whilst Musk has pledged to scale back his time at Doge, he remains unapologetic for his actions at the non-governmental agency.
Children’s deaths
So what exactly did Bill Gates, formerly one of the world’s richest men, say about the current richest man, Elon Musk?
In the New York Times article, Bill Gates was responding to US federal cost cutting by Donald Trump’s Doge and Elon Musk.
Musk said back in February that USAID was a “criminal organisation” and it was “time for it to die.”
“On childhood deaths, which over the next few years should have gone from five million to four million – now, unless there’s a big reversal, we’ll probably go from five million to six million,” Gates was quoted as saying.
“The reductions to USAID are stunning,” Gates reportedly said during the interview. “I thought there’d be, like, a 20 percent cut. Instead, right now, it’s like an 80 percent cut. And yes, I did not expect that. I don’t think anybody expected that.”
In the interview Bill Gates also pointed to Musk for cutting the USAID’s budget.
“He [Musk] put it in the wood chipper, because he didn’t go to a party that weekend,” Gates reportedly said.
Times reporter David Wallace-Wells then highlighted Musk’s commitment to the Giving Pledge, to which Gates responded, “an unusual aspect of it [the Giving Pledge] that you can wait until you die and still fulfil it.”
Gates added, “So who knows? He could go on to be a great philanthropist. In the meantime, the world’s richest man has been involved in the deaths of the world’s poorest children.”
Elon Musk responded in a tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Bill Gates was a liar.
Gates is a huge liar
— gorklon rust (@elonmusk) May 8, 2025
Bill Gates
Bill Gates over the decades has gained a great deal of recognition and respect for his expertise and funding to prevent children’s deaths, deliver more vaccines, and invest to improve the environment and tackle global warming.
For example, the Gates Foundation is heavily involved in the fight to eradicate polio worldwide, and is also a major force in funding research and development for malaria vaccines.
In 2015 as part of his ongoing philanthropic work, Gates unveiled a machine that turns human waste into drinkable water and free electricity for developing countries.
Gates has also famously backed a CO2 venture that sucks carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Indeed, the venture’s carbon capture plant in Canada he helped fund does the work of 40 million trees.
Giving fortune away
Bill Gates’ extraordinary attack on Elon Musk came as the former Microsoft CEO also announced that he plans to wind down the Gates Foundation over the next two decades.
This involves donating roughly $200 billion to philanthropic causes “to the cause of saving and improving lives around the world.”
The Gates Foundation over the past 25 years has already given away more than $100 billion.
“That is why I have decided to give my money back to society much faster than I had originally planned,” Gates wrote. “ I will give away virtually all my wealth through the Gates Foundation over the next 20 years to the cause of saving and improving lives around the world.
The Gates Foundation will officially close on 31 December 2045, when Gates’ net worth will have dropped by 99 percent.