Tesla co-founder Elon Musk takes swipe at Bill Gates on social media

The world’s second-richest man Bill Gates praised Tesla in an interview – but that didn’t stop founder Elon Musk from lashing out.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has ignited a Twitter feud with fellow billionaire Bill Gates in a move that is dividing social media.

The bizarre stoush began after the Microsoft co-founder took part in a YouTube interview with Marques Brownlee.

Mr Gates, the world’s second-richest person behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with a $US96.5 billion fortune, spoke about the future of electric cars and was even full of praise for the Tesla brand.

But Mr Musk seemed to take offence after Mr Gates revealed he had recently bought a “very, very cool” electric Porsche Taycan instead of a Tesla.

“That’s my first electric car and I’m enjoying it a lot,” he said

My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2020

He also discussed some of the drawbacks of electric vehicles, claiming their “premium” cost, the time it takes to charge them and the mileage between charges were putting off some buyers, although he singled out Tesla for acknowledgment for pioneering and expanding the industry.

“And certainly Tesla, if you had to name one company that’s helped drive that, it’s them,” he said.

But Mr Musk was less than impressed, later branding Mr Gates “underwhelming” on social media.

His comments were in response to a tweet posted by Tesletter, an unofficial account devoted to Tesla news and updates.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has lashed out at Bill Gates on Twitter. Picture: John Raoux/AP

“I’m disappointed because a lot of people are going to watch the interview and they are going to trust Bill’s word for it and not even consider EVs. Why? Because Bill Gates is a really smart guy!” the account tweeted.

“My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh,” Mr Musk replied.

The Twitter back-and-forth sparked an outpouring of responses, attracting hundreds of likes, comments and retweets and dividing opinions.

“Oh man pls don’t say sh*t like this. Not doing yourself any favours,” one Twitter user posted, while another said: “Your profitability compared to Gates is underwhelming tbh.”

“You want to be underwhelmed … call @tesla customer service,” another quipped.

But there were also plenty of Musk supporters, with one writing: “Won’t be long before you’re worth more than him anyway.”

“That because you’re the man and he isn’t anymore. You are trying to get the human race to space while he’s trying to glue them to a screen,” another said.

According to Forbes, Mr Musk has an estimated net worth of $US40 billion, making him the world’s 23rd richest person.