In a fiery escalation of the long-standing tech rivalry, Elon Musk has taken direct aim at Bill Gates and his software empire, calling for a massive public boycott of Microsoft and accusing the company of “deep corruption and narrative manipulation.”
The Tesla and X CEO made the explosive statement early Friday morning in a viral post on X, where he wrote:
“It’s time to pull the plug. Microsoft has been manipulating the public for decades — through censorship, data harvesting, and backdoor deals. Everyone deserves to know the truth. #BoycottMicrosoft”
The post immediately set off a firestorm online, racking up over 50 million views in less than six hours and sending shockwaves through the tech and financial sectors. Musk followed up the post with a thread outlining what he called “Microsoft’s long history of anti-consumer practices,” including:
Alleged covert collaborations with government surveillance programs
Biased AI development
Predatory licensing models for schools and small businesses
And what he described as “Gates’ obsession with global control through digital infrastructure”
Musk even hinted at releasing a bombshell exposé via XDocs, a new platform tied to X, teasing that “receipts are coming.”
This isn’t the first time tensions between the two billionaire titans have boiled over. Gates has criticized Musk’s views on AI and pandemic response, while Musk has previously mocked Gates’ physique, questioned his environmental credibility, and leaked private texts between them.
But this latest attack marks a turning point — Musk is no longer just trolling. He’s mobilizing.
The hashtag #BoycottMicrosoft shot to the top of trending topics worldwide, with thousands pledging to ditch Microsoft products like Windows, Office, and Azure. Meanwhile, Microsoft shares dipped slightly in pre-market trading as analysts scrambled to assess the potential fallout.
A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to comment, but insiders say the company is “taking the threat seriously” and monitoring the situation closely.
Some critics accuse Musk of stirring chaos and conspiracy, while supporters call it a long-overdue reckoning with Big Tech hypocrisy.
“Elon’s not afraid to speak the truth,” one supporter posted. “Bill Gates has been untouchable for too long. That ends now.”
With Musk promising to “expose everything,” the tech world may be on the brink of its most explosive billionaire feud yet.
