Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just

$149.99
 
$74.99/Year
The Perfect Holiday Gift Gift Now

Billionaires feud over Tesla stock and philanthropy slurs

The Independent

|

April 25, 2022

A text exchange authenticated by Tesla mogul Elon Musk shows he's butting heads with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates – yet again

- SHEILA FLYNN

Billionaires feud over Tesla stock and philanthropy slurs

Elon Musk has taken a potshot at fellow billionaire Bill Gates' belly with a crude tweet as part of his escalating feud with the Microsoft co-founder. Mr Musk, the world's richest man with an estimated worth near $300bn (£233bn), tweeted a photo of Mr Gates alongside a picture of a pregnant man emoji, captioning the post: “in case u need to lose a boner fast.”

The tweet followed the Tesla mogul's confirmation that leaked screenshots of a conversation between himself and Mr Gates were, in fact, authentic. He wrote on Twitter - which he's trying to buy - that he had not personally leaked the tweets and media must have obtained them from "friends of friends”.

In the text conversation, the billionaires appear to be making a plan to meet before Mr Musk asks Mr Gates: “Do you still have a half billion dollar short position against Tesla?”

MORE STORIES FROM The Independent

The Independent

The Independent

It's only flu' left me needing a double lung transplant

Three years ago, I found out the hard way just how crippling the flu can be.

time to read

4 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

Surely Villa can't keep up their illogical title challenge

It could amount to a triumph of reason. Arsenal top the Premier League table after seeming to plan for every eventuality, fill in every gap in the squad, take care of every small detail.

time to read

3 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

It betrays a lack of class to diss our taste for nostalgia

Earlier this week, a solicitor found herself at the centre of a minor internet firestorm after hosting what she described on social media as a “council estate dinner”.

time to read

4 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

Child intensive care cases rise as superflu floods wards

The number of children admitted to intensive care beds is on the rise as flu admissions to hospitals reach a record for this time of year.

time to read

2 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

BANANAS REPUBLIC

Cole Escola's hilarious Broadway smash, 'Oh Mary!', which imagines Abraham Lincoln's wife as a nightmarish clown, will delight audiences in London

time to read

2 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

Autism cases ‘will remain trapped despite law change’

Thousands of patients with learning disabilities will remain trapped in hospitals despite “milestone” changes to the Mental Health Act, campaigners have warned.

time to read

3 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

Bank drops interest rates to three-year low of 3.75%

Interest rates have been reduced to their lowest in nearly three years as Budget measures are set to push down on inflation, although the Bank of England cautioned that further cuts will be a “closer call”.

time to read

2 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

This will consign unfair and outdated treatment to history

For too long, our mental health laws have been a relic of another era. The 1983 Mental Health Act is older than many of the clinicians now working under it.

time to read

2 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

McIlroy ends 'dream year' by winning elusive trophy

Rory McIlroy ended the “year dreams are made of” by adding the Sports Personality of the Year award to his memorable triumphs at the Masters and Ryder Cup after being voted winner of the prestigious BBC prize for the first time.

time to read

3 mins

December 19, 2025

The Independent

The Independent

Do you ever ignore Foreign Office advice on your trips?

Q You wrote about Guatemala’s tourism minister criticising the Foreign Office travel advice for his country. Do you scrupulously follow the rules, Simon?

time to read

1 mins

December 19, 2025

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size

Holiday offer front
Holiday offer back