‘Karma is real’: Elon Musk’s cryptic message to Bill Gates after X post on Tesla short sellers goes viral

Elon Musk and Bill Gates, two of the most richest men on this planet, are once again at loggerheads, and they are also known for not getting along with each other. Elon Musk recently commented' Karma is Real' amid the ongoing feud with Bill Gates. The disagreements between the two tech titans resurfaced when Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacted to a social media post linking Tesla short sellers to those lacking ethics and morality. “I’ve often found that Tesla short sellers don’t have the best moral compass,” an X user wrote quoting a New York Times report about Bill Gates apologizing to Gates Foundation staff over Jeffrey Epstein ties and admitting having affairs with two Russian women. Elon Musk replied with a brief comment — “Karma is real” — to the post.


Bill Gates spoke with Gates Foundation staff members about newly released documents showing his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Microsoft co-founder also told staff he had an affair with two Russian women, The Wall Street Journal reported.


“I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities,” Bill Gates told staffers.

ALSO READ: Bill Gates admits extramarital affairs with two Russian women, Microsoft co-founder breaks silence on his role in Jeffrey Epstein crimes

Bill Gates vs Elon Musk: The Tesla bet

The rivarly between the two tech billionaires originates from Bill Gates reportedly betting against, Tesla’s stock to the tune of $500 million. In excerpts from the book titled 'Elon Musk', American author-journalist Walter Isaacson wrote that in early 2022, Gates spoke to Musk and said he wanted to "come see (him) and talk about philanthropy and climate" at a meeting. Shorting or short selling is a way of making money on stocks for which the price is falling.

The meeting happened at Musk's Texas plant, where the SpaceX owner confronted Gates over the decision to short Tesla stock. Musk said in April 2022 that Gates had taken a half-billion dollar short position against Tesla. Gates apologised for the move, but Musk was still upset and became "super mean" to the Microsoft founder.

Musk did not agree with the idea and replied: “Sorry, I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position against Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change”.

"He was super mean to me, but he's super mean to so many people, so you can't take it too personally," Gates told Isaacson.

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In September 2023, Elon Musk expressed his concerns over Bill Gates's alleged short position. "Taking out a short position against Tesla, as Gates did, results in the highest return only if a company goes bankrupt..Gates placed a massive bet on Tesla dying when our company was at one of its weakest moments several years ago. Such a big short position also drives the stock down for everyday investors."

According to Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk, Gates’ bet against Tesla had left him facing losses of about $1.5 billion when the stock was trading at $400 per share. As of today, the shares are trading at $417 per share.

When Musk claimed Gates would go bankrupt

In September 2024, Elon Musk made a bold claim, stating that if Tesla becomes the world's most valuable company, even billionaire Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, could potentially go bankrupt. The statement has reignited the long-standing feud between Musk and Gates.

Musk posted on X, "If Tesla does become the world's most valuable company by far, that short position will bankrupt even Bill Gates." Musk's statement was a response to an X user, Teslaconomics, who shared an old tweet from him. In the 2023 tweet, the CEO stated that taking a short position against Tesla, as Bill Gates did, would only yield the highest return if Tesla were to go bankrupt. Musk also claimed Gates had placed a massive bet on Tesla's demise during a vulnerable period for the company. He further asserted that such a large short position can drive the stock price down, affecting everyday investors.

"To the best of my knowledge, Gates *still* has that massive bet against Tesla on the table. Someone should ask him if he does. The lack of self-awareness and hypocrisy of Gates who had the nerve to ask me to donate to his mostly window-dressing environmental causes, while simultaneously aiming to make $500M from Tesla's demise," the tweet read further.