In April 2022, Elon Musk publicly alleged — and a leaked text exchange appeared to corroborate — that Bill Gates had taken a short position of roughly $500 million against Tesla, betting its share price would fall, while Gates was separately seeking to discuss climate philanthropy. According to Musk, when he asked whether Gates still held the short, Gates replied that he had not closed it; Musk said he then declined to collaborate, telling Gates he could not take his climate philanthropy seriously while Gates was 'shorting Tesla, the company doing the most to solve climate change.' Gates has not publicly disputed holding a short position but has not confirmed its size, and neither man has released trading records to substantiate the reported figure — the characterization rests largely on Musk's account. The reported wager, seemingly at odds with Gates's climate advocacy, fueled a public feud between the two billionaires.