Elon Musk recently made a striking claim, stating that Bill Gates began shorting Tesla when the company’s market cap was around $40 billion, reportedly taking a position equivalent to about 1% of its shares. Musk described it as a significant short bet that has been in place for nearly eight years. He also suggested that Gates has not closed the position, implying that the unrealized losses could now exceed $10 billion. If accurate, that would represent a substantial financial setback.