By CCN.com: Billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are back at it. With a long history of friction, the two tech giants love to throw shade on each others space plans. The SpaceX and Tesla boss couldn’t wait to destroy the Amazon boss’ vision for building communities in space.

Makes no sense. In order to grow the colony, you’d have to transport vast amounts of mass from planets/moons/asteroids. Would be like trying to build the USA in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 23, 2019

SpaceX Snub Has Reignited Feud Between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos

There is probably some anger behind Musk’s tweet, and current events shed some light on what likely reopened the feud. In a recent lawsuit, Space X is suing the U.S. government for a multi-million dollar contract to develop rockets for the Air Force. While Elon was left out in the cold, Bezos’ Blue Origin was one of the lucky recipients to get the nod from the Feds. It is worth noting that should the lawsuit be successful, there is potential for Blue Origin’s plans to be disrupted, something that would only serve to deepen the rift between the billionaires.

Bezos’ Space Ambitions Irk Musk

So what are the O’Neill Structures exactly? They are the old school sci-fi cylinders made famous by the Princeton professor of the same name. Bezos was a student of O’Neill in the 80s and is still a fan of his former tutor. Obviously, this storyline runs far deeper than merely a missed contract. Bezos and Musk have been throwing barbs for years. The Amazon boss attacked the Tesla CEO on his plans for colonizing Mars, while Musk has called the world’s richest man a “copycat” for some of Blue Origin’s rocket technology.

Tesla’s Woeful Stock Performance Piles on the Pressure

Naturally, all this comes at a time when Musk was bound to be feeling sensitive. Musk is muzzled on Twitter, and Wall Street has fallen out of love with Tesla. In addition, SpaceX has faced several challenges installing its much-hyped Starlink project. Bezos has faced some heat with his divorce and affair, but his PR machine did wonders in reducing the fallout.

Elon Musk is the exact opposite of Bezos. Erratic, charismatic, and bombastic, the Tesla CEO is not capable of reading off the corporate hymn sheet. Several analysts have predicted a terrifying path for TSLA shares over the coming months, and now SpaceX has missed out on crucial funding. It is clear that Musk’s back is truly up against the wall.

Bezos Might Have More Money, But Elon Has More Followers

Jeff Bezos is one of the hardest businessmen in the world. He will outspend you, he will out-develop you, and ultimately he will crush you until all that’s left is Amazon. However, if there is one person on this planet capable of withstanding the barrage, it’s the irrepressible Elon Musk. When Amazon backed Rivian cars come to market, things will go nuclear. Given his massive edge in followers, perhaps Twitter can be Musk’s secret weapon.

😉 — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 22, 2019

Incidentally, SpaceX is broadcasting the launch of 60 Starlink satellites, which you can watch here.