REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
- Elon Musk appeared to make another jab at one of his main rivals, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
- “Give my regards to your puppet master,” Musk told The Washington Post.
- The remark seemed to be in reference to Bezos’ ownership of The Post, which Trump also criticized.
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It appears that the Elon Musk-Jeff Bezos feud it still raging on.
The two tech moguls have been flip-flopping for title of the richest person in the world over the past several weeks, but they also have a yearslong feud that began over their competing outer space ambitions. It seems Musk hasn’t forgotten, as evidenced by a recent dig at Bezos.
The Washington Post’s Faiz Siddiqui published a report on Tuesday about how the demands on Musk’s time – including his travel schedule, personal life, and focus on SpaceX, the rocket company he also runs – are beginning to impact Tesla, leading to what some critics view as missteps in his management of the business.
While reporting the story, which The Post said features interviews with a dozen current and former Tesla employees, investors, and analysts, the publication reached out to Musk by email and received a brief response in return.
“Give my regards to your puppet master,” Musk said in response to The Post’s request for comment.
The comment appears to be in reference to Bezos' ownership of The Post - he bought the paper in 2013 for $250 million in cash. Both Bezos and The Post have said repeatedly that the Amazon CEO has no influence on The Post's editorial decisions.
But that hasn't stopped critics from conflating the billionaire tech founder and the nearly 150-year-old publication, most vocal among them former President Donald Trump. Trump made Bezos and The Post a frequent target during his administration, tweeting that the paper spread "fake news" and served as Amazon's "chief lobbyist."
With this latest barb, Musk is adding fuel to a rivalry with Bezos that dates back to at least 2004. Over the last 15 years, Musk has leveled a string of criticisms at Bezos and his rocket company, Blue Origin, including calling Bezos a copycat over some of his business ventures, describing Amazon as a monopoly, and appearing to make some digs about Bezos' age.
For his part, Bezos has repeatedly critiqued SpaceX and Musk's main goal, which is to send humans to Mars - Bezos has described the idea as "un-motivating."
"Go live on the top of Mount Everest for a year first and see if you like it, because it's a garden paradise compared to Mars," Bezos said in 2019.