High-profile tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have (jokingly) agreed to face off in a cage fight, after Musk has been sounding testy about Meta's in-development "response to Twitter," an app that may be called Threads.
The challenge began when Musk, the owner of Twitter and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, jokingly tweeted that he was "up for a cage fight" with Zuckerberg, after news went around about Meta's "Project 92," a text-thread-based app that's being built to compete directly with Twitter. The Verge had some details about this earlier this month, via a companywide meeting, with Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox saying that the company has heard from "creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run." Musk commented on this perceived insult with the cage fight tweet, and said in another tweet, "I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options."
Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, responded to the cage fight tweet by posting a screenshot of it to Instagram with the caption "send me location."
Musk quickly replied with "Vegas Octagon," referring to the famous competition mat and fenced-in area used for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, signaling that this might be more than just an amusing exchange between two of the world's wealthiest individuals, and as BBC reported, a Meta spokesperson said, "The story speaks for itself."
The internet has since been abuzz with debates and memes surrounding the proposed fight, with many trying to predict who would come out on top and others creating humorous graphics to represent the clash between these two influential figures, which The Guardian covered in detail.
Zuckerberg, 39, might have a slight advantage in terms of physical preparation, as he has been training in mixed martial arts (MMA) and has even won jiu-jitsu tournaments, another BBC article pointed out. On the other hand, Musk, who turns 52 later this month, has admitted to almost never working out, aside from occasionally throwing his kids up in the air. His proposed fighting strategy involves a move he calls "The Walrus," where he simply lies on top of his opponent and does nothing.
However, size might play an interesting role in this match. According to The Guardian, Musk stands at a towering 1.87 meters (6ft 1in) and weighs approximately 85 kg (13st 5lb), while Zuckerberg measures 1.71 meters (5ft 7ins) and weighs less than 70 kg (11st). While this weight differential might seem advantageous to Musk, it's worth noting that size is only one factor in determining the outcome of such an encounter, and Zuckerberg's training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu can't be ignored.
It's also worth mentioning that both men have access to a virtually limitless supply of financial resources, which could certainly impact the amount of training and preparation they're able to undergo before the fight. YouTubers like Logan Paul have become decent fighters due to their ability to train with the best coaches and resources money can buy.
Whether the cage fight will actually materialize remains to be seen, but it's undeniable that the prospect of these two influential tech giants squaring off has captured the public's imagination.
