In a surprising turn of events, tech titans Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have engaged in a playful exchange on social media, suggesting a potential cage fight between them. The banter, which began on Twitter and spilled over onto Instagram, has sparked widespread speculation and humor among social media users, with many creating memes and discussing the potential outcome of the hypothetical fight.
someone with 32 followers and an AOL email address just convinced two billionaires to fight in a cage match pic.twitter.com/cschFQnyVD
— Turner Novak 🍌🧢 (@TurnerNovak) June 22, 2023
The exchange began when Musk, the CEO of Tesla and recent acquirer of Twitter, responded to news about Meta’s upcoming social media platform, “Threads,” by jokingly commenting on Earth being under Zuckerberg’s control. In response, a Twitter user warned Musk about Zuckerberg’s jiu-jitsu skills. Musk then playfully suggested a cage match, to which Zuckerberg posted a screenshot of the tweets on his Instagram story with the message “Send me location”.
Musk suggested that the fight occur at the “Vegas Octagon,” referencing the UFC fighting arena in Las Vegas. He also humorously mentioned his move called “The Walrus,” where he lies on top of his opponent without taking action.
While the sincerity of their conversation is questioned, a spokesperson for Meta stated that the story speaks for itself. Zuckerberg, who has trained in mixed martial arts and won jiu-jitsu tournaments, seems to have an advantage in combat sports. On the other hand, Musk admitted his lack of physical training but expressed his willingness to participate in the fight.
The rivalry between Musk and Zuckerberg is not new. They have been engaged in a feud for over four years, stemming from incidents such as the SpaceX rocket explosion that destroyed a Facebook satellite in 2016. The rivalry has extended to areas like artificial intelligence and Facebook’s data practices. Musk has recently linked Facebook to the Capitol insurrection, describing it as a “domino effect.” Despite occasional partnerships and shared interests, the two billionaires have not hidden their animosity towards each other.
Mark Zuckerberg responds to Elon Musk saying he's down for a cage fight 🥊
"Send me location" pic.twitter.com/NE4mL8l4po
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) June 21, 2023
The recent exchange has added a new dimension to their rivalry, especially in the context of Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and Meta’s development of a new app called Threads, which resembles Twitterwith a continuous scroll of text and familiar buttons for liking and retweeting. Meta is reaching out to celebrities and influencers, including Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama, to open accounts and attract users. The launch of Threads is anticipated to happen soon, with a 500-character limit on posts reminiscent of Twitter’s original format.
The potential cage fight between Musk and Zuckerberg has garnered attention from high-profile figures, with the EU’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton jokingly offering to officiate the match. The agreement gained attention on social media, with users creating fight posters and discussing the potential outcome.
Who would win in a cage fight?@ElonMusk +300
Mark Zuckerberg -500 pic.twitter.com/yzOWzTBLok— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) June 21, 2023
While the nature of their remarks remains unclear, Musk has a history of making unconventional statements, some of which have materialized. Whether this cage fight will actually happen or remain a humorous social media exchange is yet to be seen. However, it has certainly added a new twist to the ongoing rivalry between these two tech giants.
