Elon Musk has accused Microsoft co-founder Invoice Gates of shorting Tesla.

In a tweet on Friday, the Tesla CEO admitted that he requested Gates if he was short-selling shares of the electrical carmaker. When traders brief a inventory, they’re betting that the worth of the asset will fall.

“I heard from a number of individuals at TED that Gates nonetheless had half billion brief towards Tesla, which is why I requested him, so it is not precisely prime secret,” Musk mentioned within the tweet.

He was responding to a Twitter consumer’s query on whether or not a screengrab of a supposed textual content dialog between the 2 billionaires was actual.

The Tesla chief’s response was: “Yeah, however I did not leak it to NYT. They will need to have bought it by mates of mates.”

Within the textual content change, which could not be independently verified by CNBC, Musk requested Gates: “Do you continue to have a half billion greenback brief place towards Tesla?”

To which Gates replied: “Sorry to say I have not closed it out. I wish to focus on philanthropy potentialities.”

Musk shot again: “Sorry, I can not take your philanthropy on local weather change significantly when you might have an enormous brief place towards Tesla, the corporate doing essentially the most to resolve local weather change.”

A spokesperson for Invoice Gates was not instantly accessible for remark when contacted by CNBC.

Gates advised NYT opinion author Kara Swisher final yr: “It is vital to say that what Elon did with Tesla is likely one of the best contributions to local weather change anybody’s ever made. And you recognize, underestimating Elon is just not a good suggestion.”

However he went on so as to add that what Tesla was doing was “simple stuff, like passenger automobiles.” Gates emphasised the necessity to make a higher impression on local weather change by tackling different industries.

“We’re mainly not doing sufficient on the laborious stuff: metal, cement, meat,” he mentioned at the moment. “And sadly, the issues individuals take into consideration — the electrical energy, passenger automobiles — are a 3rd of the issue. So we now have to work on the two-thirds.”

“If all you take note of is these short-term metrics, not the inexperienced premiums throughout the board, then you definitely miss out on what’s the longest lead time, which is the laborious stuff.”

It isn’t the primary time the 2 males have had a public disagreement.

When Gates revealed in 2020 that he purchased himself an all-electric Porsche Taycan, a Twitter consumer requested: “I’m wondering why Invoice Gates determined to go together with the Taycan as an alternative of a Tesla.”

Musk responded in a tweet: “My conversations with Gates have been underwhelming tbh [to be honest].”

Musk has additionally beforehand speculated on the potential of Gates shorting his firm’s inventory. Requested about these feedback and whether or not he was brief Tesla, Gates advised CNBC final yr: “I do not discuss my investments however I believe he must be very pleased with what he is executed.”

In a Bloomberg interview additionally in February 2021, Gates mentioned that he wished he had “been extra on the lengthy aspect” of Tesla when requested about Musk’s claims.

— CNBC’s Todd Haselton and Ryan Browne contributed to this report