FACT CHECK: Did Bill Gates Turn Off His Twitter Comments After Elon Musk ‘Exposed’ Him In The Latest Twitter Files?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on Facebook purports Microsoft founder Bill Gates turned off his Twitter comments after the platform’s CEO Elon Musk allegedly exposed him in the latest round of the “Twitter Files.”

Verdict: False

The claim is false. Gates disabled Twitter replies from users who don’t follow his verified account in July 2020, Reuters reported.

Fact Check:

Gates shared his optimism around the adoption of plant-based meats as a solution to combat climate change during his annual “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit, Insider reported. Gates previously said, “our grandchildren will grow up in a world that’s worse off if we don’t fix climate change,” according to CNBC.

The Facebook post purports Gates turned off his Twitter comments after Musk allegedly exposed him in the latest round of Twitter Files. The post, which features an image of a tweet, claims Musk “EXPOSED Gates so hard.”

The claim is false. There are no credible news reports suggesting Gates turned off his Twitter comments after Musk allegedly exposed him in the latest round of Twitter Files. Likewise, the claim is neither mentioned on Gates’ website nor on his verified social media accounts. In addition, Musk has not publicly commented on the purported claim.

A keyword search reveals the claim stems from a Jan. 16 tweet posted by @ANTIWEF. The tweet, which includes a photo of Gates, does not provide any sources to support the claim.

Gates disabled Twitter replies from users who do not follow his verified account on Jul. 18, 2020, Reuters reported. A note indicating “people @BillGates follows or mentioned can reply” appeared on a tweet from the Microsoft founder posted the same day. A tweet posted to Gates’ account on Jul. 2, 2020 allowed replies from all users, the outlet noted.

Twitter has allowed users to control who replies to their tweets since May 2020. Gates also has not been mentioned in connection with the Twitter Files, according to Dec. 2 and Jan. 13 tweets made by journalist Matt Taibbi. (RELATED: Is Billionaire Bill Gates Chairman Of The Maricopa County Board Of Supervisors?)

Check Your Fact has contacted Gates through his foundation for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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