Jeff Bezos says Elon Musk’s claims are “100% not true” after the Tesla CEO reignited their feud on Thursday.
"It's a real weakness to want to be liked, a real weakness, and I do not have that."
Elon Musk pic.twitter.com/zCKmn1ZuLj— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) December 1, 2024
Musk posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that Bezos had advised people to sell their Tesla and SpaceX stock because he believed Donald Trump would lose the upcoming presidential election. Bezos quickly responded, calling Musk’s claim “100% not true.” Musk then conceded with a follow-up post saying, “Well, then, I stand corrected,” accompanied by a crying-with-laughter emoji.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s reelection bid. He has appeared at campaign rallies and warned that America would “fall to tyranny” if Trump were not reelected.
Free speech would have seized to exist if it wasn’t for 𝕏 and Elon Musk this past election
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) December 1, 2024
Since the election, Musk has spent significant time at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and was appointed to co-lead a “Department of Government Efficiency” to reduce wasteful spending.
How many times does Elon Musk have to achieve the impossible for people to stop betting against him?!
— Teslaconomics (@Teslaconomics) December 1, 2024
Musk’s insinuations suggested that Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, anticipated that Musk’s close ties to Trump would result in a decline for Tesla and SpaceX if Trump lost the election.
Bezos denies Tesla stock talk
However, Tesla shares surged by 44% between November 4 and November 11, indicating investor confidence in the automaker’s prospects regardless of the election outcome.
Musk and Bezos, worth over $500 billion combined according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, remain fierce competitors.
Elon Musk’s America PAC played a major role in Trump’s victory. pic.twitter.com/xPNba7MZCZ
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) December 1, 2024
They lead two of the world’s most valuable companies, Tesla and Amazon, and their rivalry spans across various sectors including artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, self-driving cars, and space exploration. Musk has previously disparaged Bezos, labeling him a copycat and critiquing his lawsuits against SpaceX.
He has also suggested the breakup of Amazon, citing concerns over monopolies. Thomas Roulet, an organizational sociology and leadership professor at the University of Cambridge, suggested that Musk might exploit his proximity to the Trump administration to gain an advantage over competitors in crucial areas such as self-driving cars where regulation is pivotal. Bezos has expressed doubts about Musk’s vision of colonizing Mars and has implied that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X) could create complications for Tesla in China.
Representatives for Amazon, Tesla, and Trump did not respond to requests for comment.
Rashan is a seasoned technology journalist and visionary leader serving as the Editor-in-Chief of DevX.com, a leading online publication focused on software development, programming languages, and emerging technologies. With his deep expertise in the tech industry and her passion for empowering developers, Rashan has transformed DevX.com into a vibrant hub of knowledge and innovation. Reach out to Rashan at [email protected]
