Bill Gates calls Elon Musk’s embrace of far-right politicians abroad ‘insane shit’
Bill Gates calls Elon Musk’s embrace of far-right politicians abroad ‘insane shit’
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Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist calls fellow tech titan ‘super-smart’ but guilty of ‘overreach’. Bill Gates has labelled Elon Musk’s embrace of far-right politicians and attempt to interfere in the politics of other countries – including the UK – as “insane shit”.
![[Elon Musk speaks on-screen during a campaign event of the Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) in Halle, Germany, on Friday.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/189aad66237ebec1a7b672a8eeaed141f730591c/0_121_3634_2181/master/3634.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Musk has in recent weeks launched a series of unfounded smears at British politicians for supposedly covering up a rape scandal over a decade ago. The UK is currently preparing a new online safety law that would restrict some of Musk’s businesses, including the social media site X.
Musk – the boss of the electric carmaker Tesla and aerospace firm SpaceX – also gave a Nazi-style salute at a recent rally, and responded to the immediate global condemnation he received by posting a series of puns on the word “Nazi” and related terms. Monday was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz.
Gates also lambasted Musk for embracing not just rightwing politicians but even more extreme ones to the far right, including celebrating the British anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson over the rightwing Reform party leader and Brexit champion Nigel Farage.
Musk has also come out in full-throated support of the far-right, anti-immigrant, nativist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). “You want to promote the right wing but say Nigel Farage is not rightwing enough,” Gates told the Sunday Times. “I mean, this is insane shit. You are for the AfD ….
