Amazon.com Inc.
Musk replied to Bezos' post with "Turtle heading?" and added, "When it's coming out slowly, but ferociously."
The exchange references the classic fable of the tortoise and the hare, where steady progress defeats overconfidence.
SpaceX Pivots To Lunar Focus
The social media exchange came after Musk announced on Monday that SpaceX has shifted its primary focus from Mars to building a self-sustaining city on the Moon.
"For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years," Musk wrote on X.
Musk explained that Mars missions are only possible every 26 months with a six-month travel time, while lunar missions can launch every 10 days with a two-day journey. "This means we can iterate much faster to complete a Moon city than a Mars city," he said.
The SpaceX CEO added that the company will still pursue Mars colonization beginning in five to seven years, but the Moon remains the "overriding priority" for "securing the future of civilization."
Previous Mars Commitment
The announcement marks a reversal from Musk's January 2025 stance when he called the Moon "a distraction" and stated SpaceX was "going straight to Mars."
Ongoing Rivalry
The Bezos-Musk rivalry has intensified across multiple sectors, including space exploration, satellite internet with Blue Origin's TeraWave competing against Starlink, and artificial intelligence following Bezos' launch of Project Prometheus in November.
