Two of the world’s biggest tech-billionaires, Elon Musk and Bill Gates, got into a public feud after Gates accused Musk of having “blood on his hands” for drastically downsizing the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Musk, the head of DOGE under Trump’s administration, labeled USAID a “criminal organization” and froze payments, placed staff on administrative leave, and effectively dismantled the agency’s operations
raising questions around government liability insurance, public healthcare funding, and financial accountability in global aid distribution.
What’s more, Musk defended his decision. He said of USAID, which was the world’s largest single donor of humanitarian aid, “It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm in it. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing.” His remarks ignited conversations about chronic illness management in underserved communities, medical malpractice risks in aid work, and the high hospital costs of unplanned disease outbreaks.
According to Gates, the abrupt funding cuts caused vital food and medicine to go to waste in storage, raising the risk of diseases like measles, HIV, and polio to return.
