Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates says he “admires” Tesla chief executive Elon Musk but is sceptical the carmaker's valuation can continue to climb as the world transitions to electric vehicles.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Gates downplayed reports of a feud with the Tesla founder amid accusations he was short-selling, or effectively betting against, shares of the Texas-headquartered company.
Mr Musk surpassed Mr Gates to become the richest person in the world this year after Tesla's valuation skyrocketed following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Animosity between the two appeared to grow after Mr Musk accused the Microsoft founder of taking out a large position against his company, something Mr Gates has yet to deny.
Mr Musk has also previously directed insults at Mr Gates on Twitter, the social media platform which he now hopes to buy in a deal worth more than $40 billion.
“There's no need for him to be nice to me,” Mr Gates said, referring to Mr Musk in an interview with Mishal Hussein on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
However, he declined to say whether he was short-selling Tesla stock. “That has nothing to do with climate change. I have ways of diversifying”, he said when asked directly about the reports.
Tesla's share price stands at just more than $950, making it one of the most highly-valued companies in the world. But Mr Gates said increased competition in the sector could lead to a large fall in its value.
“The popularity of electric cars will lead to more competition for selling those cars. So there's a difference between electric cars being adopted, and companies becoming infinitely valuable.”
Mr Gates, who spends billions fighting climate change, said going into space was not a goal of his and his “dream” was to eradicate polio and malaria.
He also said he was trying to encourage other billionaires to spend more money on humanitarian causes, in an apparent reference to Mr Musk's SpaceX and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic projects that aim to make space technology more accessible.
“I'm going to encourage others who have been wildly successful like I've been to give back to the right causes — I think philanthropy can achieve a lot,” Mr Gates said.
In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Gates said he found conspiracy theories involving him “crazy” and that some people in the street had accused him of “tracking” them through vaccines.
“In some ways, you almost have to laugh because it's so crazy,” he said. “I mean, do I really want to track people? You know, I spend billions on vaccines, I don't make money on vaccines, vaccines save lives.”
He also said his dealings with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were a “mistake” and believed he could “absolutely” continue to run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with his ex-wife following their divorce last year.
Mr Gates, whose new book How to Prevent The Next Pandemic has just been published, also said the world will be “digging our way out” of the pandemic “for decades to come”.
“It's very unlikely that we'll go 20 more years without another outbreak that has a chance of becoming a global pandemic”, he said.
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
