Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (Bill Gates) said in an interview program broadcast on Thursday that he would rather spend money on life-saving vaccines than on Mars, but he thinks Elon Musk (Elon Musk) will become a “great philanthropist “.
In the interview, Gates talked about the difference in focus between himself and Elon Musk. When asked if he would encourage Elon Musk to join the “Super Rich Philanthropists Club,” Gates made the comment. The club includes Gates, Warren Buffett and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
“Yes, I think he’s going to be a great philanthropist one day,” Gates said of Elon Musk. “Obviously, companies like Tesla have a positive impact even if it’s not in the form of charity. But anyway, I don’t think he’ll spend the money on himself, except for a couple of trips to Mars, which might cost a little bit of money. Elon Musk will eventually use his ingenuity and become a philanthropist.”
Gates also said that, in his opinion, going to Mars is not putting money to good use. “Going to Mars is actually quite expensive. You can buy a measles vaccine and save lives for $1,000 per life saved, so that’s just kind of a reason to be like saying, ‘Don’t go to Mars.'”
