Elon Musk does not hesitate to publicly confront his detractors.
Nor does he hesitate to publicly attack other tech pioneers. Usually, he tweets, so everyone can see. It's part of his image and the Musk Brand as a disruptor.
In the other direction, few are those who dare to counterattack, at least publicly. That's because either they prefer not to air dirty laundry in public or they simply don't want to engage in a war of words when the outcome is uncertain.
Bill Gates is one of those who is unafraid to respond.
In a widely reported interview at The Wall Street Journal's CEO Council Summit, the co-founder of software giant Microsoft (MSFT) had some scathing words for Musk. The criticism focuses on Musk's in-progress acquisition of Twitter (TWTR) for $44 billion.
Gates is particularly concerned about the shift Musk plans to make to Twitter's content-moderation policy. The Tesla (TSLA) boss made clear that the platform will be open to everyone as long as the comments don't break the law.
Musk 'Could Make' Twitter 'Worse'
Musk made clear that under his rule, former President Donald Trump would be allowed to return to social media. Trump had been permanently banned from the platform after the events on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021.
"Do you have any advice for Elon Musk as he buys Twitter of what he should do?" Gates is asked at The Wall Street Journal's CEO Summit on May 4.
"He actually could make it worse," Gates responded. "That's not his track record. I mean, his track record with Tesla and SpaceX is pretty mind blowing at putting together a great team of engineers and ... taking the people who worked in those fields in a less bold way, and really showing them up.
"I kind of doubt that will happen this time, but we should have an open mind and never underestimate Elon."
Gates seems concerned about a proliferation of disinformation and misinformation in the name of free speech on the platform once Musk becomes its owner. Musk has said that the limit he'll impose on the microblogging site is the law.
Gates said:
"You know, what's his goal where he talks about the openness, and how does he feel about something that says vaccines kill people or ... that Bill Gates is tracking people? Is that one of the things he thinks should be spread? So it's still not totally clear what he's going to do," Gates said.
"Are his goals for what it ends up being -- does it match this idea of less extreme falsehoods spreading so quickly [and] weird conspiracy theories? Does he share that goal or not?" Gates asked.
From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of conspiratorial messages have spread across the internet, fueling misinformation about the coronavirus, its origins and the motivations of those working to combat it.
Social Media Leaders Have a Role to Play
Gates has pledged to support vaccine makers and dedicate at least $1.75 billion to the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The philanthropist then became the target of falsehoods and fantasies. For some conspiracy theorists, Gates launched the pandemic, planned to vaccinate the world's population, and even organized a health genocide and a general reduction of Earth's inhabitants.
One particularly absurd bit about Gates that kept circulating on social media is that the billionaire intends to implant 5G chips with the vaccine against covid-19.
"I thought that just human judgment would work. And so far, at least under the stress of the pandemic, that hasn't stopped the crazy stuff from getting out and kind of resonating with people in terms of -- it's a much simpler explanation to say that, you know, this person started the pandemic than that there's this weird thing in biology...," Gates said.
The philanthropist's criticisms come days after Musk attacked him. The Tesla boss has accused Gates of selling short the premium electric vehicle maker, a bet that its stock price would drop. Must also tweeted a tasteless joke about Gates.
Gates also seems to disagree with Musk on the role of platforms. Formerly the richest man in the world, Gates says social-media owners and managers have a role to play in ensuring that the truth and the facts are shared as widely as possible.
"I do think that people on platforms have a role there, and eventually the platform tried to play that role...," the tech tycoon said.
"And when you don't have the trusted leaders, you know, speaking out about vaccines, it's pretty hard for the platform to work against that. So I think we have a leadership problem and we have a platform problem."
