Ammon News - In a wide-ranging episode of the "Verdict" podcast released on Monday, the host, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, asked Musk to name the smartest guy he's ever met or a CEO he greatly admires.

"Larry Ellison is very smart," Musk said, picking at his black blazer while referring to the cofounder of Oracle. "I will say Larry Ellison is one of the smartest people."

Musk then mentioned Larry Page, the cofounder and first CEO of Google.

He went on to say that he thinks intelligence can be measured by a person's accomplishments.

"To some degree, smart is as smart does," Musk said. "What have they done that is difficult and significant? You know, Jeff Bezos has done a lot of difficult and significant things." The compliment comes despite a 20-year rivalry between Bezos and Musk, which centers on their dueling space ambitions at Bezos' Blue Origin and Musk's SpaceX.

Musk's praise for the tech billionaires comes as their cohort sees a steep drop in net worth. Ellison, Page, and Bezos are worth $169 billion, $149 billion, and $218 billion, respectively, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, but sector leaders took a financial hit in early March as the Nasdaq slid among economic uncertainty. That includes Musk, who has lost billions, with 30% of his fortune erased in 10 weeks as Tesla stock plummeted.

The interview also touched on Musk's efforts at the White House DOGE office and attempts to slash the federal workforce. Musk said that the situation at the federal government was "worse than I expected" but that there was great room for improvement as a result.

His tactics, though, are drawing sharp criticism from some federal employees and everyday Americans.