Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos rivarly: these are the areas where they compete
The Blue Origin rocket took off from Launch Site One in Texas with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sánchez aboard.
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, two of the world’s richest individuals, compete with each other in more ways than one.
Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin might be their most well-known rivalry; however, it isn’t the only one the pair of billionaires have. Satellites and electric trucks are also areas of competition for them.
EV trucks
Tesla, the electric vehicle (EV) maker that Musk has run for nearly 17 years, began selling its Cybertruck in late 2023. Tesla first unveiled plans to build the electric truck in 2019.
Ahead of its debut, Musk told analysts and investors the Cybertruck is “an amazing product” and “potentially our best product ever.”
A Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla store in San Jose, California, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. ( David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
There were nearly 38,970 sales of Tesla Cybertrucks in 2024, Cox Automotive’s Kelly Blue Book estimated. In this year’s first quarter, Tesla had an estimated 6,400 sales of Cybertrucks.
Last month, Slate Auto announced that an electric truck is set to make its debut on the market late next year. Its price tag, after federal incentives, is expected to be below $20,000.
The Slate Auto electric vehicle in the standard pickup truck configuration. (Slate Auto / Fox News)
The company, backed by Bezos, described its upcoming truck as a “simplified EV 2-seat pickup” that will feature crank windows and HVAC knobs on its dashboard. Customers will be able to personalize the truck with over 100 accessories or make it a five-seat SUV, according to the company.
JEFF BEZOS-BACKED AUTOMAKER UNVEILS AFFORDABLE EV PICKUP TRUCK
Slate was born from Re:Build Manufacturing, a company founded by Jeff Wilke, the former CEO of Amazon’s worldwide consumer business. Slate received $111 million in Series A funding in 2023 (under the name Re:Car), according to a regulatory filing. Melinda Lewison, who manages Jeff Bezos’ family office, is listed as a director in the filing.
Satellites
SpaceX and Amazon are both in the broadband satellite business, with Musk’s space company doing so through Starlink and the Bezos-founded tech giant via its Project Kuiper.
Starlink’s impressive constellation includes thousands of satellites. The internet that they help facilitate is available in many places around the world.
Starlink, engineered and operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is expected to deliver the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. (Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Images)
SpaceX has conducted many Starlink missions this month, carrying satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Meanwhile, Amazon aims for Project Kuiper’s “first-generation satellite system” to have over 3,200 satellites. The company has 80-plus launches of Project Kuiper satellites in the pipeline.
Read More: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos rivarly: these are the areas where they compete