Elon Musk
Elon Musk responded to the words of Bill Gates, who criticized the head of SpaceX and Tesla for his contempt for the coronavirus pandemic. Musk's words were featured on the Sway podcast available on the New York Times website.
Musk has denied accusations that he underestimates the danger of coronavirus. “This is what we have – a low mortality rate with a high degree of infectiousness,” the billionaire said, noting that in this situation it would be more correct to leave under quarantine not the entire country, but only those who are at risk. In response to the comment of the podcast host Kara Swisher that people are dying during the pandemic, Musk clarified that “everyone dies.”
Elon Musk also responded to criticism of entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates, who previously said that the Tesla founder does not understand coronavirus vaccines. “Hey dumbass, we actually make vaccination equipment for CureVac, the company you're investing in,” Musk wondered. The entrepreneur clarified that Tesla is a partner of the German biopharmaceutical firm CureVac.
When asked by a journalist about whether Musk and his family will be vaccinated when the drug for COVID-19 appears, Elon Musk replied that he had no plans to do so. “I am not at risk of contracting the coronavirus, nor are my children,” the billionaire concluded. At the end of the podcast, the businessman noted that all of his companies – SpaceX, Tesla – worked during the severe restrictive measures. “We sent astronauts to the space station and brought them back,” Musk said.
Earlier, Bill Gates, in a conversation with reporters, refused to recognize Elon Musk as “the new Steve Jobs.” According to the billionaire and philanthropist, he appreciates the contribution of the Tesla founder to the protection of the environment, but believes that the figures of Jobs and Musk cannot be compared. Musk is a practical engineer, while Jobs was a design, marketing and recruiting genius, according to a former Microsoft executive.
In early March, a SpaceX and Tesla executive called the coronavirus panic stupid. Musk's words posted on Twitter surprised and angered some of the entrepreneur's followers, who called them bad.
