Elon Musk Said Tesla Short Sellers Would Be ‘Obliterated’ Even Bill Gates — Yet They’ve Made $9 Billion This Year Shorting the Stock

Elon Musk's prediction that Tesla short sellers would be "obliterated" has not come to pass yet. Despite warnings two years ago, Tesla's stock decline has left short sellers with roughly $9 billion in unrealized gains this year. Bill Gates, who had shorted Tesla, acknowledged the trade in Isaacson's biography of Musk. However, Musk's conditions for the short sellers' obliteration require Tesla to fully solve autonomy and have Optimus in volume production. As of 2026, Tesla's progress in these areas has been insufficient to trigger Musk's prediction.