Bill Gates made fun of the billionaire space race during a conversation with James Corden.
Gates' comments came a few months after Richard Branson and Bezos took private jets into outerspace.
This interview took place days after Gates had been asked about Jeffrey Epstein's relationship.
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During an interview with James Corden, Bill Gates criticized Jeff Bezos's obsession with outer space and Elon Musk's.
When Corden asked Gates about his views on billionaires' interest to space travel, he replied that he didn't know. "Space?" There is so much to do on Earth.
Corden called Gates' response "the most memorable burn" he had ever heard.
The Zoom call with Microsoft founder James Corden launched Wednesday's Climate Night edition "The Late Late Show With James Corden". The comedian thanked Gates during the interview for not trying to escape Earth in a spaceship.
James Corden on The Late Late Show (@latelateshow), September 23, 2021
Gates' comments come a week after Musk and SpaceX successfully completed Inspiration4, the first all-civil mission to orbit. Richard Branson and Bezos flew their private planes into space in July. The billionaires only spent a few minutes in space, but the trip cost billions.
Musk and Bezos have both been open about their plans to use space to combat climate change. Musk wants to colonize Mars; Bezos plans to transfer carbon-heavy industries to other planets.
Antnio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, called billionaires out for investing billions in space travel while millions go hungry on Earth.
Both billionaires were heavily criticised at the time of their rocket launches. Many called for higher taxes. After ProPublica reported that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos didn't pay income taxes for at most two years between 2006-2018, Sen. Elizabeth Warren called Bezos out on the spaceflight.
Insider reached out to SpaceX, Branson's Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin for their spokespersons, but they did not immediately reply. However, Bezos admitted that he had been criticised after his spaceflight.
He stated that his critics were "mostly correct" at the time. He said, "We must do both." There are many problems on Earth right now and we must address them. We also need to think about the future. This is something we have done as a species and civilization.
Musk is yet to venture into space but he has been criticised for focusing his efforts on it.
Musk said that he believes the vast majority should be spent on solving Earth's problems. Musk stated that 99% of our economy should be devoted to solving Earth's problems in a Netflix documentary. Musk said that he thinks that a fraction of the economy, or even less than 1% could be used to extend life beyond Earth.
Since many years, Gates has expressed his concern for public health. The Gates Foundation has donated hundreds of millions to aid efforts in combating Malaria and HIV as well as COVID-19 vaccine equity.
The interview Gates did with Corden is a few days following a PBS interview in which he was asked about his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. The billionaire admitted that he regretted having dinners with Epstein who pleaded guilty in Florida to sex crimes. The billionaire was then asked if there were any lessons to be learned.
Gates stated, "Well, he is dead. So in general, you always need to be cautious."
Are you a SpaceX or Blue Origin employee? Contact the reporter via a non-work email to gkay@insider.com
