Elon Musk has fired back at Bill Gates over the Microsoft co-founder’s claims that cutting US foreign aid programs is endangering children worldwide. Gates accused Musk of harming the world’s poorest communities by dismantling the US foreign aid apparatus, including programs that provided HIV-prevention medication to mothers in Mozambique.
Musk responded, saying “who does he think he is” and demanding evidence to back up Gates’ claims, calling them “false.” Musk’s agency declared it was time for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to be defunded, citing conspiracy theories about foreign aid being used to send condoms to Hamas in Gaza.
Gates countered that the policies had real-world consequences, including life-saving vaccines expiring due to lack of distribution funding. The feud between Musk and Gates is part of a years-long clash between the two tech titans, who have disputed on issues ranging from public health policy to philanthropy.
The escalating exchange highlights the deep divide between Musk’s libertarian views on government spending and Gates’ more traditional approach to global aid.
Source: https://nypost.com/2025/05/20/business/elon-musk-fires-back-at-bill-gates-over-doge-cuts-to-usaid