Bill Gates Could Have Been 'World's First Trillionaire' By Ignoring Buffett's Advice — Instead, He Lost $10 Billion Shorting Tesla, Says Elon Musk - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Core Insights - Elon Musk reignited discussions about Bill Gates' wealth and potential net worth had he not followed conventional wealth planning advice [1] - Gates could have been the world's first trillionaire, with a net worth of $1.5 trillion if he had retained his Microsoft shares [2][3] Group 1: Bill Gates' Wealth and Decisions - Bill Gates was once the wealthiest person globally, ranked by Forbes for 18 of 24 years from 1995 to 2017 [2] - Gates sold his Microsoft shares based on advice from Warren Buffett to diversify his investments, which has been questioned in light of Microsoft's current market capitalization of $3.6 trillion [3][4] - If Gates had not sold his shares and continued his philanthropic efforts, his net worth would have been significantly higher [3] Group 2: Elon Musk's Comments and Tesla's Performance - Musk highlighted that Gates has held a short position against Tesla, which he claims has cost Gates approximately $10 billion as Tesla's stock price increased [5] - Tesla shares experienced a decline of 4.62% on a recent trading day, closing at $467.26, while Microsoft shares were down 0.05% at $476.12 [6]