Bill Gates versus Elon Musk: A Spat Over Aid Cuts Impacting Millions of Children
Millions of children reportedly perish due to Musk's financial reductions, asserts Gates. - Children's deaths attributed to Musk's budget reductions, according to Gates
Elon Musk, the tech mogul behind companies like Tesla, finds himself in the middle of a heated debate with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who's accused Musk of being partially responsible for the deaths of millions of children due to his cuts to US foreign aid programs. Bill Gates believes that these cuts at the US development aid organization USAID are "staggering," and if there's no change in course, the number of children dying annually in poor countries could rise to a shocking six million.
In an interview with the "New York Times," Gates explained that without these cuts, the number of deaths should have decreased to a still alarming four million in the coming years. Gates pointed the finger at Musk, saying, "He's the one who cut the budget of USAID."
Musk threw a punch back on his online platform, X, simply stating, "Gates is a huge liar."
USAID on the Chopping Block
Musk supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign with a substantial sum of over $250 million last year, making him a trusted ally of the former president. After Trump's inauguration, Musk was tasked with reducing government spending, which included significant cuts to USAID as Musk himself admitted on X.
Gates asserted, "The richest man in the world is involved in the deaths of the poorest children in the world." Elon Musk's net worth is estimated at a staggering $300 billion (€268 billion). He joined the initiative "The Giving Pledge" started by Gates and investor Warren Buffett, where wealthy individuals pledge to donate their wealth to charitable causes, even posthumously. "Who knows? He could still become a great philanthropist," Gates commented about Musk.
Gates himself has directed a significant portion of his wealth to his foundation and recently announced that the Gates Foundation will spend almost all of its wealth, around $200 billion, in the next 20 years and then close.
- Bill Gates
- Elon Musk
- Children
- CEO
- USAID
- Microsoft
- Death
- Donald Trump
- New York Times
- Death toll
- Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of being partially responsible for the death toll of millions of children due to his cuts to US foreign aid programs at USAID.
- Elon Musk, who supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign and was tasked with reducing government spending, admitted to significant cuts to USAID.
- In an interview with the New York Times, Bill Gates criticized Musk, stating, "The richest man in the world is involved in the deaths of the poorest children in the world."
- Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, expressed hope that Elon Musk, despite their current disagreement, could still become a great philanthropist and decrease the deaths of children in poor countries.
