Bill Gates Accuses Elon Musk of ‘Killing the World’s Poorest Children’
Bill Gates has publicly accused Elon Musk of endangering the lives of vulnerable children by supporting the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a key source of foreign aid to developing countries.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Gates said, “The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” referencing the impact of foreign aid reductions on global health initiatives.
Newsweek reported that it had contacted Musk for comment through Tesla’s press office, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Elon Musk, as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, played a central role in pushing for major reductions in federal spending, including eliminating USAID. He has argued the agency was mismanaged and plagued by waste.
Critics of the USAID cuts say they will disproportionately affect the world’s most vulnerable populations. These include communities reliant on U.S. aid for essential services such as healthcare and nutrition, per Newsweek.
During the Financial Times interview, Gates cited the closure of a program in Mozambique that prevented mother-to-child HIV transmission. He said the program was defunded based on misinformation Musk had shared about the aid going to Gaza in the Middle East.
Gates stated, “I’d love for him to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut that money.” Musk later acknowledged the geographic mix-up regarding the program’s location.
The two billionaires have previously disagreed on the role of philanthropy. Musk has argued that for-profit ventures like Tesla can more effectively address global challenges, while Gates has focused on charitable giving.
Gates recently announced he is expediting plans to close the Gates Foundation by 2045, significantly increasing the pace at which his wealth will be distributed.
He has pledged to donate 99 percent of his fortune to the foundation, which supports public health, education, and development efforts in impoverished regions.
With this timeline, the foundation, which has spent $100 billion since its inception, is expected to spend an additional $200 billion over the next two decades.
Gates’s contribution ranks among the largest philanthropic efforts in modern history, rivaled only by Warren Buffett’s planned donation of his Berkshire Hathaway holdings.
Buffett has contributed approximately 41 percent of the Gates Foundation’s funding so far. The remainder has come from Gates’s personal wealth accumulated through Microsoft.
Current objectives of the foundation include eradicating polio, controlling diseases such as malaria, and addressing child malnutrition worldwide.
Gates emphasized that using the money now would save lives and potentially inspire future donors to take on other global issues.
He also told the Associated Press that the new deadline gives sufficient time for strategic use of funds and for those involved to prepare for the foundation’s eventual closure.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on March 10 that 83 percent of USAID programs had been officially canceled, citing inefficiency and misalignment with national interests.
Elon Musk responded by stating that critical aspects of USAID should have always been under the jurisdiction of the State Department.
Bill Gates audacity to blame Elon Musk for child deaths over USAID cuts is outrageous! Gates is a vengeful, evil POS who has harmed kids with shady vaccine programs in other countries. Lock Gates up now! pic.twitter.com/v63BK8170R
— 🕊 𝓐𝓷𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓡𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 🕊 𝐗𝐋𝐕 (@Ann_Lilyflower) May 8, 2025
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