"If Tesla does become the world's most valuable company by far, these short positions will bankrupt even Bill Gates," Musk wrote in response to a tweet on X.

Musk was referring to Gates' multibillion-dollar short position on Tesla a few years ago.

Gates holds an undisclosed short position in Tesla, which is said to be worth billions of dollars.

In late 2023, Musk also said indignantly on X, "A few years ago, when our company was at one of its weakest moments, Gates bet that Tesla would go bankrupt. Such a large short position caused ordinary investors to suffer losses from the decline in stock prices. As far as I know, Gates is still betting that Tesla will go bankrupt. Someone should ask him if he did so."

Musk also pointed out at the time: "Gates lacks self-knowledge and is so hypocritical that he dared to ask me to donate to his environmental cause, which is mainly a window dressing, while wanting to make $500 million from Tesla's bankruptcy..."

It is not clear whether Gates has since increased or reduced his short bet on Tesla.

Tesla's stock price has soared 62.5% this year, largely benefiting from Republican candidate Trump's victory in the US election, and Musk, a Trump supporter, is becoming increasingly close to the new government.

It is worth noting that the two people who have also been the world's richest people have more public friction than shorting Tesla. From the attitude towards the new crown epidemic, the views on electric trucks, to the entanglements around artificial intelligence, or the evaluation of each other, the two have had great differences in recent years. Some industry insiders have recently speculated whether Musk, who has a strong revenge mentality, will "retaliate against" some of his business rivals after holding an important position in the Trump team.

Regarding the shorting of Tesla, Gates responded in an interview in 2022: "Tesla has done a great job. I have invested more in climate change than Musk or anyone else. He has done a good job, but the people who shorted the stock have not dragged him down or hurt him in any way."

Gates later said, "When he knew I shorted his stock, he became particularly mean to me.