Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were until recently the two richest people in the world.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA), was the richest. Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon (AMZN), was No. 2.
The two men had then been pushed aside by the Indian tycoon Gautam Adani, who in mid-September dethroned Bezos to become the second richest. A few months later, Musk lost his crown to the French executive Bernard Arnault, who is CEO of luxury-goods giant LVMH (LVMUY) .
The fortunes of Musk and Bezos suffered from the stock-market rout of their respective companies. At the start of the year, the two tech moguls managed to regain some of the billions they'd lost last year.
Musk remains No. 2, with a net worth valued at $164 billion as of Jan. 31, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He sits $27 billion away from first place, still occupied by Arnault. In all, the Techno King, as he is known at Tesla, has seen his fortune increase by nearly $30 billion in 2023.
Bezos is third with a net worth valued at $126 billion, up $19.4 billion this year.
A Fierce Rivalry and Common Ground
The two billionaires are not really friends but they respect each other.
Their rivalry in the conquest of space stimulates each other and prompts them to cross swords from time to time. Each seems interested in what the other is doing or saying. But usually it's Musk who comments on Bezos' words or actions.
Last May, for example, Tesla's handyman urged the founder of the e-commerce giant to stop partying and devote himself to their common ambition: conquering space.
"Does seem like he’s spending a lot of time in the hot tub these days," Musk said of Bezos, likely referring to press articles in the tabloids chronicling the holidays of Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, in St. Barts.
"If he wants to get to orbit, less partying and more work would be advisable," Musk concluded.
Bezos did not respond to this call to order.
It also often happens that the two billionaires share common concerns and solutions to solve an urgent problem. Case in point: the homeless. The two billionaires last April agreed on a private-sector solution to help solve San Francisco's homeless problem
"Convert Twitter SF HQ to homeless shelter since no one shows up anyway," Bezos tweeted to Musk on April 9. He referred to a similar solution Amazon implemented in Seattle.
"Great idea," Musk responded.
Similar Tastes in -- Television
The two entrepreneurs also seem like-minded in their television tastes.
They both seem to have enjoyed the new HBO original series "The Last of Us." It was Bezos who was first to express his excitement and enthusiasm for the series.
"Episode 3 of Last of Us is unbelievably good story telling," Bezos posted on Twitter on Jan.31. "I am in awe of @Nick_Offerman performance. Incredible."
Musk jumped right in to the conversation, sharing the enthusiasm of his billionaire peer. He recalled that the videogame from which the series is adapted was just as brilliant.
"Great game, great show," the serial entrepreneur said.
The videogame "The Last of Us," released in 2013 on PlayStation 3 (SONY) (then remastered on PS4 and remake on PS5), is considered a masterpiece. Its adaptation into a TV series by the HBO channel (WBD) was obviously eagerly awaited.
The story is faithful to the videogame. It follows the iconic duo formed by mercenary Joel (Pedro Pascal), a trafficker broken by tragedy, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), the teenager he must protect. She is the last hope of a world that was almost destroyed by a virus and in which the zombies are rampant.
The nine episodes take place in a post-apocalyptic America, locked down by a military dictatorship. The first episodes of "The Last of Us" broke audience records and garnered rave reviews. The TV series has a 97% rating on review aggregator "Rotten Tomatoes,"
It's been a hit since its launch in mid-January. The second season has already been confirmed.
The TV series is broadcast by Prime Video, Amazon's streaming service, in many countries.
