Bill Gates on Elon Musk: I admire a lot of what he has done

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates said he is an admirer of a lot of work Elon Musk has done, while also expressing surprise at the billionaire’s comments on politics in Europe.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Gates said, “I haven’t spoken directly to him for about 18 months. I’ve known Elon a long (time)… he’s a member of the Giving Pledge and I admire a lot of the great work he’s done.”

Musk has recently used his platform X to back the far-right parties in the European Union, with special support to select groups in Germany and the UK. “I am not trying to talk about European politics like he is, so it surprises me a bit,” he said, adding that Musk “finds the time to do a lot of things”.

If he were entrusted with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Gates said based on the numbers, pension, defence and healthcare were among things that have to be reined in. “You could optimise in some places, parts of the budget I know well,” he said.

“Looking at government expenditure on a zero-based budgeting approach could be a valuable thing. I am amongst the people who think the deficit needs to be brought down, otherwise it will create a financial problem for us,” he said.