Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg ready to fight offline
This combo of file images shows Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, on the left. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are ready to fight offline. In a now-viral back-and-back on Twitter and Instagram this week, the two tech billionaires agreed to have a face-to-face “cage match.” (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, Stephen Savoia)
The Associated Press
Washington — WASHINGTON (AP) – Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are ready to do battle online.
In a now-viral back-and-back on Twitter and Instagram this week, the two tech billionaires agreed to have a face-to-face “cage match.”
It all started when Musk, who owns Twitter, replied to a tweet about Meta reportedly preparing to release a new Twitter rival called “Threads”. He quipped that the world has “been exclusively subjected to Zak and there is no other option” — but then a Twitter user jokingly warned Musk about Zuckerberg’s jiu jitsu training.
“I’m open to a cage match if he’s eligible,” Musk wrote late Tuesday.
Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, quickly responded — and appeared to agree with Musk’s proposal.
“Send me the location,” Zuckerberg wrote on an Instagram Story on Wednesday night, showing a screenshot of Musk’s tweet along with another user’s response urging the Twitter boss to “start training.”
Actually Zuckerberg is trained in mixed martial arts. The Facebook founder posted last month about completing his first jiu jitsu tournament.
In response to Zuckerberg’s location request on Wednesday, Musk proposed the Vegas Octagon. He then mocked his fighting skills and workout routine, suggesting that the fight might not be serious.
“I have this cool move I call ‘The Walrus,’ where I just lay on top of my opponent Do nothing else,” Musk wrote.
Whether or not Musk and Zuckerberg actually get in the ring has yet to be seen — especially since Musk often tweets about the action prematurely or without a follow-up. But, even though their cage match settlement is a joke, the joke attracted attention. An endless series of “choose your fighter” memes and posts have emerged in response.
“The story speaks for itself,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to The Associated Press. Zuckerberg has not commented further.
The Associated Press also contacted Ultimate Fighting Championship, which owns the Octagon, and Twitter for statements. Twitter’s press email was answered with the poop emoji, its standard automated response to reporters.
