Elon Musk is no stranger to stirring the pot on X, and his latest jab at Bill Gates has reignited a feud that’s been simmering for years. In a viral post dated April 23, 2022, but reposted today, Musk shared a side-by-side image of Gates and Apple’s controversial pregnant man emoji, captioning it, “in case u need to lose a boner fast.” The post, which has resurfaced in the wake of a revealing thread by X user Eddie (@EdMoneys), paints a picture of a deeply personal and ideological clash between two of the world’s most influential billionaires.
The drama kicked off when Eddie (@EdMoneys) shared a detailed account of a 2022 encounter between Musk and Gates, originally documented in Walter Isaacson’s biography Elon Musk (published September 2023). According to Eddie’s post, Gates approached Musk to discuss philanthropy, specifically focusing on climate change and humanitarian efforts. On the surface, it seemed like a noble cause—Gates has long been a vocal advocate for climate action, and Musk’s Tesla is a pioneer in sustainable energy. But there was a catch: at the time, Gates was holding a massive $1.5 billion short position against Tesla, betting that the company’s stock would plummet.