During a roundtable session at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, world-renowned entrepreneur Elon Musk gave his opinions and impressions on a number of topics. Issues ranging from sustainable energy to planet colonization were bounced off the brain of Mr. Musk. As the man behind multiple $50 billion companies shared his insight, the billion dollar question was asked: “Who will come out on top: Apple, Microsoft, Google, or Facebook?”

“It’s the grudge match,” he said, as he went on to talk about this Silicon Valley battle royal and how great it was for consumers.

So who did Elon think would come out on top?

While he didn’t go as far as to crown an all encompassing champion, he did award the mobile gold belt to ours truly — Google.

I think probably Google will win on the phone because Jobs is out of the picture. It matters quite a lot who runs the company. Years ago they were lowering Apple into the grave. But like that scene from Kill Bill, they punched through the coffin. it really makes a difference who runs the company. Larry Page is quite good and probably in the long run will come out on top.

Was Steve Jobs really that important to the success of Apple? I’d say so, and judging by the first year without him at the helm, I’d say Mr. Musk’s predictions are spot on.

While Musk clearly doesn’t have faith in Apple’s current leadership, it was interesting that he never even bothered to mention Microsoft. That’s got to sting for the company trying to tile its way back into the homes of consumers.

I’d say “long-term” is a bit of a misnomer in the fast moving world of mobile. However, I don’t see anyone challenging Google or Apple’s hold on the mobile market for at least 5 years — and even then, I have no idea who it would be.

• ViaTechCrunch