Bill Gates accused Elon Musk of endangering the lives of poor children

A new serious confrontation has emerged in the world of technology and philanthropy between two major figures — Bill Gates and Elon Musk. The Microsoft founder and one of the world’s leading philanthropists accused Musk of endangering the lives of the world’s poorest children by shutting down USAID — the United States Agency for International Development.

According to Gates, the sharp cut in USAID funding has led to global shortages of essential food and medicine. This, in turn, increases the risk of outbreaks of diseases such as measles, polio, and HIV.

“If the richest man in the world kills the poorest children in the world, that’s very tragic,” Gates said in an interview with the media.

Musk – Gaza – Mozambique: a geographical error, a decision with consequences

Gates particularly highlighted a hospital in Mozambique’s Gaza Province, which works to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. However, U.S. authorities mistakenly associated the hospital with the Hamas movement in Palestine’s Gaza Strip and cut funding.

“I want Elon Musk to meet the HIV-infected children face-to-face. He cut the funding — now let him see the consequences,” Gates said bluntly.

According to him, Musk, despite calling USAID a “criminal organization,” does not actually understand what the agency does. In early 2025, Musk announced that “USAID’s time has come to die” and nearly dismantled its operations.

Interestingly, in February, Musk admitted that he had confused Mozambique’s Gaza Province with Palestine’s Gaza Strip in his earlier remarks. This confirms that his accusations were unfounded and led to flawed decisions.

A long-standing rivalry between two titans

This isn’t the first conflict between Gates and Musk. In 2012, Musk joined the “Giving Pledge” initiative founded by Gates and Warren Buffett, pledging to donate at least half of his wealth. But later, according to his biographer Walter Isaacson, Musk called most charity “pointless” and “nonsense.”

Isaacson writes that in 2022, when Musk learned that Gates had sold Tesla shares, he accused him of hypocrisy — claiming to do good while actually harming a company for profit.

What do analysts say?

Experts believe this controversy raises important questions about global charitable projects, the social responsibilities of tech leaders, and the broader implications of political decisions. Musk’s radical stance and Gates’ humanitarian approach clearly provoke sharply different reactions worldwide.

Only time will tell what further tensions may arise between the giants of philanthropy and innovation. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!