Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has launched a blistering attack on Elon Musk, blaming him for overseeing the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and slashing foreign aid budgets under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.
In an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, Gates accused Musk of playing a key role in eliminating life-saving programs that served the world’s most vulnerable populations.
“He’s the one who cut the USAID budget. He put it in the wood chipper, because he didn’t go to a party that weekend,” Gates said in the interview. “The world’s richest man has been involved in the deaths of the world’s poorest children.”
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The comment was one of several strong-worded remarks Gates made while discussing global health and foreign aid. His criticism was particularly focused on decisions made by Musk’s DOGE initiative, which led to the closure of USAID and what Gates called “stunning” budget reductions that impacted programs for childhood immunizations, HIV prevention, and maternal health.
One of the examples Gates highlighted was the abrupt cancellation of funding to a hospital in Gaza Province, Mozambique—a region far removed from the Middle East. According to Gates, the hospital had been receiving U.S. support for antiretroviral drugs that prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. The aid, he said, was cut off due to a profound misunderstanding by government officials.
“They cut the money to Gaza Province in Mozambique. That is really for drugs, so mothers don’t give their babies HIV,” Gates said. “But the people doing the cutting are so geographically illiterate, they think it’s Gaza and condoms. Will they go meet those babies who got HIV because that money was cut? Probably not.”
Gates said the scope of the damage caused by the aid cuts is dire and warned that child mortality figures, which had been declining steadily due to decades of public health interventions, could spike.
“If foreign aid keeps dropping, the five million kids who die every year could become six million,” Gates told the Times.
The Microsoft co-founder made these remarks in the context of announcing his intention to give away his entire fortune, estimated at $200 billion, within the next two decades. Gates said the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation would close its operations in 2045, with a goal of maximizing its impact in areas like vaccine access, disease eradication, and child nutrition before winding down.
Still, Gates emphasized that philanthropy cannot fully replace the role of governments in fighting poverty and disease globally.
“Our foundation can help, but it’s not enough,” he said.
This is not the first public clash between Gates and Musk. The two billionaires have frequently exchanged barbs over the years. Gates has previously accused Musk of contributing to political instability in Europe, pointing to his support for right-wing causes in countries like the United Kingdom and Germany. He has also expressed frustration that Musk, despite his leadership at Tesla, has not been more vocal about the dangers of climate change.
On his part, Musk has publicly mocked Gates in the past and downplayed his understanding of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. In 2022, Musk described Gates’ knowledge of AI as “limited.”
As of Friday, Musk has not publicly responded to Gates’ latest comments.
The accusations come amid mounting scrutiny of the consequences of foreign aid rollbacks, particularly those associated with the DOGE initiative. While the program was marketed as a cost-cutting and efficiency measure, critics like Gates argue that the cost is being borne by communities with little power or visibility on the global stage.
For Gates, who has made global health the cornerstone of his post-Microsoft work, the dismantling of public health support infrastructure appears to have touched a nerve.
“These claims are not political; they’re about saving lives,” he said.
However, Gates’ comments have reignited debate over the role of billionaires in public policy, especially when their influence extends deep into areas traditionally managed by elected officials and humanitarian experts.