5 CEOs who felt the brunt of Elon Musk's trolling
What's the story
Elon Musk is known for many things: his riches, Twitter, Tesla, SpaceX, etc. He has also built a reputation for not holding back when speaking about someone or something. At times, his candidness has resulted in him mocking some of the biggest names in the world. Let's take a look at some of the CEOs who felt the brunt of Musk's words.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates called AI 'revolutionary technology'
OpenAI and ChatGPT are two of the most-heard names these days. Like many of us, Bill Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, believes that we are in the "age of AI." Gates even wrote a blog about it, calling artificial intelligence (AI) a revolutionary tech. Considering Microsoft's humungous investment in OpenAI, Gates's sentiment about AI's impact is understandable.
Not a fan
But Gates's understanding of AI is limited, says Musk
Musk, on the other hand, has been very vocal about ChatGPT and AI's dangers. Notably, Musk was one of the founders of OpenAI but left the company in 2018. When a Twitter user asked Musk about Gates's bullish stance on AI, the Twitter CEO took a dig at Gates. He said Gates's "understanding of AI was limited," and it "still is."
Tim Cook
Musk mocked Apple's expensive cleaning cloth
Tim Cook is one of the biggest names in the tech world. Being the CEO of Apple, he controls the world of smartphones alongside Google. But that hasn't stopped Musk from taking a jibe or two at Cook. In 2021, Musk took a dig at Apple's non-abrasive polishing cloth for cleaning displays worth a hefty $19.
Mocked
Musk asked whether Apple hates free speech in America
Under Cook's tweet about Apple's new store in Istanbul in 2021, Musk wrote, "Come see the Apple Cloth TM," mocking the polishing cloth and its exorbitant price. Cook was also at the receiving end of Musk's words in 2022. Criticizing Apple's decision to stop advertising on Twitter after his acquisition of the platform, Musk asked whether Apple hated "free speech in America."
Jeff Bezos
Musk trolled Bezos when he became world's richest
Jeff Bezos was once the richest man on the planet. Musk and Bezos have a rivalry that spans riches and space. Musk's SpaceX and Bezos's Blue Origin are competing to be best in the space industry. When Bezos posted a tweet about Amazon's success in 2021, Musk replied with a silver medal emoji, reminding Bezos of his second place in the richest list.
Warren Buffett
Musk called Warren Buffet's moats 'lame'
Musk has locked horns with Berkshire Hathway founder Warren Buffett as well. The two represent different ideologies of business. That difference came out when Musk in 2018 called moats "lame." Moat is a term popularized by Buffett which refers to a business's ability to maintain its competitive advantage. Buffett responded by warning Musk to stay away from his moated ventures.
Candy
Musk is not a big fan of Warren Buffett
Musk later said he was going to challenge Buffett's See's Candies with a candy company of his own called "Cryptocandy." At the time, Musk said he was serious, but it is yet to happen. In 2021, the Twitter CEO said, "I'm not Warren Buffett's big fan, frankly." "He sits there and reads all these annual reports, which are super boring," Musk added.
Jack Dorsey
Musk and Dorsey have differing opinions about Bitcoin
Jack Dorsey and Musk have had a tight relationship over the years. The two billionaires once clashed over their differing opinions on Bitcoin. In 2021, they had an exchange about "The B Word" website. Under Dorsey's tweet with a link to "The B Word," Musk replied, "Bicurious?" When Dorsey initiated a discussion with Musk about Bitcoin, the Tesla CEO said, "Let's have THE talk."