Tech titans Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are in a fierce business rivalry that has spilt over into a playground spat, with the two men offering to fight each other in a cage.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
Twitter owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested Las Vegas for the location of a “cage match” after reportedly being challenged to a fight by Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.
“Vegas Octagon,” Musk tweeted late Wednesday. He was responding to an Instagram post by Zuckerberg who had shot back with a message of “send me location” after the Tesla boss confirmed he was up for a “cage match.”
Cage matches have been popularized by mixed martial arts or MMA franchises like UFC. The “Octagon” refers to the cage around the ring in which fighters battle because it has eight sides.
The series of exchanges started earlier this week when Mario Nawfal, founder and CEO of International Blockchain Consulting, tweeted “META to Release ‘Twitter Rival’ Called THREADS.” Facebook parent Meta is reportedly working on a stand-alone, text-based social network app that could compete with Twitter.
Musk responded to Nawfal by saying: “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options. At least it will be ‘sane’. Was worried there for a moment.”
Another user cautioned Musk saying, “Better be careful @elonmusk I heard he does the ju jitsu now.”
Zuckerberg reportedly has a white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He trains under Dave Camarillo of Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu academy, a judo and jiu-jitsu black belt who has trained a number of UFC champions.
That sparked a comment from Musk that suggested he is up for a fight with Zuckerberg. Musk quipped, “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.”
Mark Zuckerberg | Instagram
The Verge tech publication confirmed that Zuckerberg is “serious about fighting Elon Musk and is now waiting on the details” if Musk decides to follow through. “The story speaks for itself,” a Meta spokesperson told the media outlet, referring to Zuckerberg’s Instagram story. It is unclear if the fight between the two tech leaders will actually happen or whether Musk’s tweets were serious. A spokesperson for Meta was not immediately available when contacted by CNBC.
Late Wednesday, Musk posted another tweet saying: “I have this great move that I call ‘The Walrus’, where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing.”
He also said, “I almost never work out, except for picking up my kids & throwing them in the air.”