A history of the rivalry between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, 2 of the world's most powerful CEOs who have been feuding for over 15 years

Avery HartmansAug 1, 2020, 18:38 IST

Elon Musk, left, and Jeff Bezos.Samantha Lee/Business Insider

Two of the world's most powerful CEOs, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, have been locked in a heated rivalry for the past 15 years.
While the two mainly feud over their respective space ambitions — Musk runs SpaceX, while Bezos launched Blue Origin — they also compete for talent, and Musk has taken public issue with Bezos on several occasions.
Musk called Bezos a copycat over some of Amazon's business ventures, said Amazon is a monopoly that should be broken up, and appeared to make digs about Bezos' age.
For his part, Bezos has made veiled critiques of Musk's main goal, which is to send humans to Mars.
As both CEOs grow their wealth and power, their feud will likely continue on. These days, both SpaceX and Blue Origin are designing lunar landers for a NASA mission to return humans to Mars.

Over the last 15 years, two of the world's most high-profile CEOs, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, have been engaged in a simmering rivalry.

The two execs have sparred over their respective space ambitions — Musk runs SpaceX, while Bezos owns Blue Origin — but it hasn't stopped there: Musk has called out Bezos for running what he deemed a monopoly, and has called Bezos a copycat for his self-driving car interests.

Musk and Bezos are two of the most powerful CEOs in the world. Bezos is currently the wealthiest living person and runs Amazon's sprawling empire while also involving himself in Blue Origin's quest to send people to the moon. Musk is a dual CEO, manning the ship at both Tesla and SpaceX. Over the years, their not-so-subtle rivalry has even given way to Twitter spats and name-calling.

Here's how Musk's and Bezos' rivalry began and everything that's happened since.

Back in the early 2000s, Jeff Bezos wasn't yet the titan he is today.

AP Photo/Stevan Morgain

Elon Musk was already a millionaire several times over, but he hadn't become CEO of Tesla yet.

Peter Thiel, left, and Elon Musk, right, pose for a 1999 story about their company, PayPal. AP

The Musk-Bezos rivalry appears to date back to 2004 when the two CEOs met for dinner.

Toshiyuki Aizawa/Reuters

From 2004 onward, Musk and Bezos appeared to keep to themselves. But their rivalry continued in 2013 when things became contentious over leasing a NASA launchpad.

Michael Seto

In 2014, the two companies got into a patent battle when Blue Origin was granted a patent for drone ships, which are used for landing rocket boosters. SpaceX petitioned to invalidate the patent.

Space X's Falcon 9 aboard its landing platform ship. BRUCE WEAVER/AFP via Getty Images

In 2014, the two companies got into a patent battle when Blue Origin was granted a patent for drone ships, which are used for landing rocket boosters. SpaceX petitioned to invalidate the patent.

In recent years, Musk and Bezos have been more public about their feud, taking their rivalry to Twitter.

Isaiah J. Downing/Reuters

The feud isn't just about space ambitions, however. Musk has taken issue with Blue Origin's hiring practices and has taunted Bezos in interviews.

John Raoux / AP Images

Musk is known for being outspoken on Twitter, an that has included jabs at Bezos.

Elon Musk. REUTERS/Steve Nesius

For his part, Bezos has been less overt about his distaste for Musk and SpaceX, but he's made veiled comments about his thoughts on the company's plans.

REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

In July, Musk appeared to make yet another dig at Bezos — this time about his age — in an interview with the New York Times.

Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Though the pair's main point of contention appears to be space, Musk has made other pointed remarks about Amazon, recently calling the company a monopoly.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves Manhattan federal court after a hearing on his fraud settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in New York City, U.S. April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

But both Bezos and Musk have continued to make progress — and grow their wealth — even as their rivalry continues on.

Jeff Bezos (left) and Elon Musk. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

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A history of the rivalry between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, 2 of the world's most powerful CEOs who have been feuding for over 15 years

Back in the early 2000s, Jeff Bezos wasn't yet the titan he is today.

Elon Musk was already a millionaire several times over, but he hadn't become CEO of Tesla yet.

The Musk-Bezos rivalry appears to date back to 2004 when the two CEOs met for dinner.

From 2004 onward, Musk and Bezos appeared to keep to themselves. But their rivalry continued in 2013 when things became contentious over leasing a NASA launchpad.

In 2014, the two companies got into a patent battle when Blue Origin was granted a patent for drone ships, which are used for landing rocket boosters. SpaceX petitioned to invalidate the patent.

In recent years, Musk and Bezos have been more public about their feud, taking their rivalry to Twitter.

The feud isn't just about space ambitions, however. Musk has taken issue with Blue Origin's hiring practices and has taunted Bezos in interviews.

Musk is known for being outspoken on Twitter, an that has included jabs at Bezos.

For his part, Bezos has been less overt about his distaste for Musk and SpaceX, but he's made veiled comments about his thoughts on the company's plans.

In July, Musk appeared to make yet another dig at Bezos — this time about his age — in an interview with the New York Times.

Though the pair's main point of contention appears to be space, Musk has made other pointed remarks about Amazon, recently calling the company a monopoly.

But both Bezos and Musk have continued to make progress — and grow their wealth — even as their rivalry continues on.