Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk met Alibaba Group co-founder Jack Ma at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China in 2019. While Musk is usually at the center of attention, this time, Ma stole the show with his quips, making the Tesla CEO instantly regret being on stage with him.
What Happened: Musk and Ma sparred on stage over several topics, including AI and Mars. Ma, who was still racing towards his peak at the time with a wealth of $41 billion, took on Musk.
An old clip, showing the two tech billionaires fighting a battle of wits on stage, shows Ma beginning with this: "I hate the world AI called Artificial Intelligence. I call it Alibaba Intelligence."
Musk was left stunned, and when he could muster a comeback, he kept it short. "Yeah. Might end up being true. You never know."