Elon Musk Furious Over ‘Killing Children’ Accusation, Hits Back at Bill Gates With Five Shocking Words

In a dramatic escalation of a feud between two of the world’s most powerful billionaires, Elon Musk has responded with fury after Bill Gates accused him of “killing the world’s poorest children.” The explosive war of words marks the sharpest and most personal confrontation yet between the tech titans—one rooted not in market competition or innovation, but in the ethics of humanitarian aid and global survival.

Musk’s five-word reply—“Gates is a huge liar”—has since ignited a firestorm across social media and the global press.

The controversy erupted after Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and long-time global health philanthropist, launched a blistering attack on Musk during an interview with the Financial Times. Referring to Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—the controversial Trump-era agency that shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—Gates didn’t hold back.

“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” he said, condemning Musk’s decision to eliminate USAID programs that previously funded food, vaccines, and medical care for millions of people in the developing world.

Elon Musk, also known online as Gorklon Rust in some circles, wasted no time in reacting. While he did not directly respond to Gates' interview, he replied to a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) in which a user summarized Gates’ remarks and claimed the DOGE-led shutdown would cost “2 million lives.” In his usual terse and combative style, Musk shot back with just five words: “Gates is a huge liar.”

Those five words, short yet loaded, sent a message far louder than any policy rebuttal. They embody Musk’s often dismissive approach to criticism, especially from establishment figures like Gates. But this time, the stakes are far more serious than electric vehicles or satellite broadband.

This is about lives—millions of them—and a deliberate dismantling of global support systems that many in the humanitarian sector argue were the last defense for the most vulnerable.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established earlier this year under the Trump administration and placed under Musk’s control, shocked the international aid community in February when it abruptly shuttered USAID, a cornerstone of American soft power and foreign assistance for decades. At the time, Musk called USAID “a criminal organization” and declared, “Time for it to die.” According to reports, over 80% of USAID’s programs were terminated, affecting operations in more than 60 countries.

Gates, long involved in partnerships with USAID and other international health organizations, was appalled. He argued that shutting down USAID had already led to measurable harm. “Life-saving food and medicines are expiring in warehouses,” he told The Financial Times.

He added that diseases like polio and measles—which had been on the brink of eradication—could resurge due to disrupted immunization programs. The Microsoft founder didn’t stop there. 

He recounted a specific incident involving a hospital in Gaza Province, Mozambique, which lost its funding after being mistakenly confused with the Gaza Strip in the Middle East. That hospital, Gates said, had been helping women prevent the transmission of HIV to their newborns. Since the aid cut, numerous infants have reportedly contracted the virus. “I’d love for him to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut that money,” Gates said bitterly.

For Musk, known for his love of provocation and disdain for bureaucracy, such criticism is unlikely to alter course. His response, while lacking nuance, was consistent with his approach: direct, inflammatory, and rooted in his belief that legacy institutions like USAID are bloated and ineffective.

But critics say his actions are not about reform—they’re about destruction. And they come at a cost that cannot be measured in dollars, only in lives.

What makes this exchange especially explosive is the personal history between the two men. Gates and Musk were once aligned in the belief that billionaires have a duty to give back. But the relationship soured over the years as Musk rejected traditional philanthropy and Gates reportedly shorted Tesla stock, drawing Musk’s ire. Since then, their public exchanges have become more caustic, but never as morally charged as they are now.

Gates’ recent comments reflect a man deeply disturbed not just by policy changes, but by the underlying philosophy driving them. “Acting through ignorance,” he called Musk’s decision-making, suggesting that the world’s richest man is steering American humanitarian priorities with little understanding—or worse, indifference—to the human cost.

 Gates’ emotional appeal, backed by a pledge to donate $200 billion through his foundation by 2045, has set a new bar for what he views as a moral obligation in the face of institutional failure.

Musk, on the other hand, shows no sign of backing down. His five-word retort may become a rallying cry for those who view Gates as part of the old guard—a paternalistic billionaire with a savior complex. For Musk’s defenders, Gates represents a kind of hypocrisy: a man who amassed a fortune through monopolistic tech practices and now claims the moral high ground.

They argue that USAID has long been plagued by inefficiency, corruption, and political manipulation, and that a disruption—however painful—is long overdue.

But critics of Musk, including humanitarian organizations, say this isn’t disruption. It’s devastation. They warn that turning off the taps on global aid during a time of rising poverty, conflict, and climate-related crises is tantamount to sentencing millions to suffering.

And while private donors like Gates can temporarily fill some of the gaps, even he acknowledges that governments must lead. “Progress will not be possible without government support,” Gates said. “There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people.”

As the feud between Gates and Musk rages on, the real story lies far from the headlines and billionaire soundbites. It lives in the communities where vaccine shipments are no longer arriving, in clinics where shelves sit empty, and in the arms of mothers watching their children grow sicker by the day.

Whether Musk will feel any accountability for these consequences remains to be seen. But what is certain is this: five words from the world’s richest man just ignited a moral firestorm that won’t die out soon.