Elon Musk calls Bill Gates a ‘knucklehead’ for criticizing his coronavirus response; Says he won’t take coronavirus vaccine because he doesn’t believe the virus poses a serious enough risk to his health

Just two days ago, we wrote about Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the said he won’t be getting a coronavirus vaccine because he’s ‘not at risk’ and says the pandemic has ‘questioned my faith in humanity’ because people have become ‘irrational.’ He made the statement during an exclusive interview with Kara Swisher on the New York Times’ podcast Sway.

Today, we learn more about what Musk said. In addition to the vaccine, Kara and Musk touched on several other topics including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Musk said billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates was a “knucklehead” for suggesting that Musk was out of his depth when discussing “areas he’s not involved in too much” as the feud between the two tech billionaires escalates.

“Gates said something about me not knowing what I was doing,” Musk said. “It’s like, ‘Hey, knucklehead, we actually make the vaccine machines for CureVac, that company you’re invested in.’”

Musk also added that he and his family would not be taking a coronavirus vaccine because he doesn’t believe the virus poses a serious enough risk to their health. Musk added, “I’m not at risk, neither are my kids.”

Musk said sweeping restrictions on movement and business enacted due to the coronavirus had “diminished” his “faith in humanity.” The entrepreneur said that instead of sweeping lockdowns, governments should focus on isolating those most at risk while allowing the rest of society to continue with normal life.

Musk told Fisher that “anyone who is at risk” should be “quarantined until the storm passes.” When Fisher said that some people could be more at risk if Musk’s idea became a reality, Musk responded that “everybody dies.”

Musk is not alone. As we wrote back in early August, one in three Americans said they would not get the COVID-19 vaccine – even if it was free, new Gallup poll found. A poll released on July 9 also found that only half of America’s population would be willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine if it were available.

Another poll cited by the journal Science on June 30, found that just 50% of people in the U.S. are committed to receiving the vaccine, while a May CNN poll found 33% of Americans unwilling to get vaccinated against the disease.