Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have caused a stir on social media with their cage fight. The challenge initiated by Mr. Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, who tweeted that he was “up for a cage fight” with Mr. Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, formerly Facebook.
Zuckerberg took on the challenge by posting a screenshot of Musk’s tweet with the caption “Tell me where.” Mr. Musk later proposed Las Vegas as the event’s location, with the bout taking place in an octagonal cage used for mixed martial arts (MMA) matches.
Mr. Musk also joked about his lack of training and signature move, “The Walrus,” which involves lying on top of his opponent and doing nothing. The exchange has gone viral, with millions commenting, sharing, and creating memes about the potential fight. Some have expressed their support for either Mr. Musk or Mr. Zuckerberg, while others have questioned the seriousness of their challenge.
A spokesperson for Meta told the BBC that “the story speaks for itself,” while Twitter did not provide a statement. The challenge comes amid a longstanding rivalry between the tech titans, who have fought over issues including artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, and social media regulation. Mr. Musk has been critical of Meta’s handling of user data and misinformation, while Mr. Zuckerberg has dismissed Mr. Musk’s warnings about the dangers of AI as “irresponsible.”
Both men have a history of attempting bold and quirky projects, such as colonizing Mars, developing brain-computer interfaces, and developing hyperloop transportation networks. With net worths of more than $200 billion apiece, they are also among the richest persons on earth.
However, they have very different backgrounds and personalities. Mr. Musk, who turns 52 later this month, is a self-taught engineer and entrepreneur born in South Africa and moved to Canada and the US. He is known for his visionary ideas, outspokenness, and sense of humor. He has also made some statements that turned out to be false or unrealistic, such as taking Tesla private or making his dog chief executive of Twitter.
Mr. Zuckerberg, who is 39 years old, is a Harvard dropout, founded Facebook in his dorm room in 2004. He is known for his focus on innovation, leadership style, and philanthropy. He has also been training in MMA and has recently won jiu-jitsu tournaments.
A fight between the two tech titans would be a spectacle that would attract enormous attention and revenue. Nick Peet, a broadcaster and fight sports journalist, told the BBC there was a decent chance it could happen, primarily because of Mr. Musk’s personality. He also predicted that Mr. Zuckerberg would win easily, given his age advantage and MMA training.
However, whether the challenge is severe or just a publicity stunt still determined. Neither Mr. Musk nor Mr. Zuckerberg has confirmed any details or arrangements for the fight. It is also possible that they are just joking or trolling each other. In any case, their challenge has generated a lot of buzz and excitement among their fans and critics alike.
