What does Bill Gates think about Elon Musk? Admiration, surprise and more…

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates praised the world's richest man Elon Musk's work, saying he “admires a lot he's done”, but admitted that the Tesla chief's comments on European politics “surprised” him.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Bill Gates reflected on his childhood, autism and early start of Silicon valley tech juggernaut Microsoft. When asked about fellow billionaire Elon Musk, he said “I admire a lot of the work he has done.”

On Elon Musk: ‘Admire the…’

When asked when was the last time he spoke to Elon Musk, Bill Gates said he has not spoken directly to the technocrat in around 18 months, adding: “I haven't spoken directly to him, may have been about 18 months. But, I've known Elon over the years, he's a member of the Giving Pledge and I admire a lot of the great work he's done.”

On Musk Using his Influence in Politics: ‘Surprises me…’

When asked for his thoughts on Elon Musk using his platform to influence the political landscape, Bill Gates was not completely averse.

“I think the idea that looking at government expenditures on a sort of zero-based budgeting approach, could be a valuable thing. You know, I'm amongst the people who think the deficit needs to be brought down because otherwise it will create a financial problem for us. So you know, that effort could come up with some good things,” he said.

Bill Gates however added, “I'm not trying to talk about European politicians like he (Elon Musk) is. So some of that surprises me a bit. But wow, he finds time to do a lot of things.”

On What Bill Gates Would do in DOGE to Increase Savings…

Bill Gates was more on the pragmatic side of things, believing while there is some lack of efficiency, value systems must not be upended for savings.

He told the WSJ, “Given the numbers that they have tossed around, they'll have to look at everything, including pension, defence, healthcare. My view is, most departments there probably are 10-15 per cent… I do worry a little bit that if you say “hey lets completely get rid of things”.”

“Some of the things they have long-term benefits, I obviously believe in HIV medicines, where the US is keeping tens of millions of people alive. And if you cut those off, not only would they die when we have a cure on its way, but the negative feelings you'd have, say in Africa would be worse than never having done the thing at all. So, the parts of the budget I know well you could optimise, but I hope the value system still includes that half a per cent that saves all those lives,” he added.

Watch Bill Gates Talk About Elon Musk Here