Elon Musk has reignited his public rivalry with fellow billionaire and space-industry competitor Jeff Bezos, claiming the Amazon founder told people Donald Trump would lose the election and advised selling stocks tied to Musk.
The claim sparked a brief exchange on X, the social media platform Musk owns.
Musk said:
“Just learned tonight at Mar-a-Lago that Jeff Bezos was telling everyone that @realDonaldTrump would lose for sure, so they should sell all their Tesla and SpaceX stock. “
Bezos hit back promptly, saying:
“Nope. 100 percent not true.”
Musk later walked back his claim with a laughing emoji, saying:
“Well, then, I stand corrected.”
A History of Sparring
Musk and Bezos, the two richest men in the world, have a long history of taking jabs at each other, often on social media.
While Bezos rarely posts on X, Musk is highly active.
He uses the platform – which he owns – to frequently critique Amazon’s market dominance and boast about his own wealth.
Bezos has countered with jabs at Musk’s Mars colonization ambitions.
Both billionaires’ companies—SpaceX and Blue Origin—are key players in the US government’s lunar exploration campaign.
Blue Origin has a $3.4 billion contract with NASA, but SpaceX has maintained a lead in the industry thanks to its reusable rocket technology, which significantly reduces the cost of space flight.
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Political Overtones
Musk’s ties to Trump and Bezos’s fraught relationship with the president-elect have added a political dimension to their rivalry.
Musk donated $200 million to Trump’s campaign and has been a visible ally, joining Trump this week to witness a SpaceX Starship rocket launch in Texas.
He is set to run the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and has plans to cut government spending by $2 trillion.
Meanwhile, Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, faced criticism for the newspaper’s decision not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, with some alleging fear of retribution from Trump.
Trump has been openly critical of Amazon, labeling it a monopoly and alleging biased coverage from The Washington Post.
During his presidency, Amazon contended Trump influenced the Pentagon’s decision to block the company from securing a $10 billion cloud-computing contract, an allegation denied by the Pentagon.
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Billionaire Showdown
Musk and Bezos’s personal net worths, estimated at $331 billion and $226 billion respectively, underscore the stakes in their rivalry.
Their public feuds extend beyond space exploration, with Musk previously challenging Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a “cage match,” though the fight never took place.
Despite the tension, Bezos extended an olive branch post-election, congratulating Trump on his victory and wishing him success in uniting the country.
This rare statement from Bezos marked his third post on X this year.
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Market Reaction
Tesla shares rose slightly on Thursday, continuing a 40 percent surge since Election Day, while Amazon shares fell 2 percent.
The companies’ contrasting stock performances highlight the economic implications of their public and political engagements. X, SpaceX, and Blue Origin remain privately held, leaving their broader financial impacts speculative for now.
The Musk-Bezos rivalry remains a fascinating intersection of technology, politics, and personal ambition, with their every move closely watched by investors and the public alike.
