RT.com
04 Feb 2023, 16:13 GMT+10
A real philanthropist would abandon Mars dreams for vaccines, the Microsoft mogul says
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates believes the SpaceX CEO's self-declared mission to save humanity from extinction by colonizing Mars is not a good use of Elon Musk's fortune, which would be better spent on goals like mass vaccination to save people's lives back on Earth.
Gates said he does not consider Musk to be a real philanthropist, while acknowledging in an interview with the BBC released on Friday that some of his endeavors, like the electric vehicle company Tesla, "are having a positive impact."
"I think some day he will join the ranks of philanthropists using his ingenuity," Gates added, because "at the end of the day" he can't possibly spend all of his money on himself, "other than going to Mars a few times, which might cost a little bit."
Gates argued that there are more immediate and pressing issues facing humanity than a Mars mission, such as mass vaccination. "It's actually quite expensive to go to Mars," he said in the interview. "You can buy measles vaccines and save lives for a thousand dollars per life saved. It just kind of grounds you, as in - don't go to Mars."
The two billionaires have had tense relations in recent years, and this is not the first time Gates has gone on the offense against the SpaceX creator. In May, media reports claimed that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spent millions to attempt to block Musk from acquiring Twitter.
The new Twitter owner, in turn, accused Gates of hypocrisy. "Sorry but I cannot take your philanthropy on climate change seriously when you have a massive short position on Tesla," Musk wrote in a leaked private message later confirmed to be real.
Musk has made no secret of his desire for humans to colonize Mars, insisting it's the only way the species will escape a "mass extinction crisis." In a 2022 TED interview, Musk outlined his dream of sending thousands of Starship rockets to Mars by the year 2050, calling them "modern Noah's Arks," even though the spacecraft is still in its experimental phase.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of New York Telegraph news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to New York Telegraph.
More InformationTAIPEI, Taiwan: In an effort to ease tensions between Taiwan and China, former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou will visit Beijing ...
NIAMEY, Niger: Four weeks after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Niger, an American aid worker and a French ...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: While chairing a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers in Brussels this week, European Union (EU) foreign ...
BANGUI, Central African Republic: Authorities from the Central African Republic have said that nine Chinese nationals were killed and two ...
MENINDEE, Australia: After recent floods and hot weather, millions of dead fish have washed up in southeastern Australia, which authorities ...
BOISE, Idaho: Under a bill passed by the Idaho Legislature thios with a veto-proof majority, the state will allow firing ...
BOISE, Idaho: Under a bill passed by the Idaho Legislature thios with a veto-proof majority, the state will allow firing ...
Adam Fox ended a personal 24-game streak without a goal and the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 ...
Isaac Okoro hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final second as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers rallied in the final two ...
New York [US], March 24 (ANI): Hindenburg Research has put out a report against Jack Dorsey-backed payments firm Block Inc., ...
NEW YORK -- In a season of firsts for Florida Atlantic men's basketball -- first time ranked in the AP ...
Jeremy Pena homered in the sixth and added an RBI double in a four-run eighth as the Houston Astros surged ...