Elon Musk alleges Epstein drove Tesla short; Gates held 1% bet at $40B valuation

On February 16, 2026, Elon Musk claimed Jeffrey Epstein mounted a broad effort to short Tesla and convinced Bill Gates to take a 1% short position when Tesla's market cap was about $40 billion. Musk also said the trade may have cost Gates up to $10 billion, while Tesla last closed at $417.44, up 17.3% over the past year.