Two of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful tech CEOs are about to slug it out in the most interesting cage matches of all time. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has challenged Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, to a fight in the UFC Octagon, which the latter has accepted.
Origin of the Musk and Zuckerberg rivalry
The rivalry between both CEOs is not new. It has a lot to do with the tech battle between Twitter and Meta (Facebook’s parent company). This episode of the feud is linked to Musk entering the social media space last year after acquiring Twitter, and Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta was developing a Twitter-like social media platform codenamed Project 92 (now Threads).
The rivalry can also be traced to a 2016 event, when a SpaceX rocket, that was carrying a Facebook satellite, exploded. Zuckerberg had responded to the mishap saying he was “deeply disappointed,” more or less calling Musk a failure. Not long after, Zuckerberg spoke about AI in a Facebook Live session and mentioned that “people who are naysayers and try to drum up these doomsday scenarios: I just don’t understand it. It’s really negative, and in some ways, I actually think it’s pretty irresponsible.” This came after Musk had openly warned of how dangerous AI could be. In response to Zuckerberg, Musk tweeted that Zuckerberg’s “understanding of the subject is limited.”
Back to the cage match
Build up to this match started on June 21, when Mario Nawfal tweeted that Meta is launching a Twitter rival called Threads, to which Musk responded with “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options…”
A Twitter user then notified Musk that Zuckerberg does Ju-jitsu, and Musk responded with the tweet that started this whole issue: “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.”
Zuckerberg got the gist, and responded by posting a screenshot of Musk’s tweet on Instagram with the caption “send me location.”
In response to Zuckerberg´s location request, Musk proposed the Vegas Octagon. He then joked about his fighting skills and workout routine.
“I have this great move that I call ”The Walrus,” where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing.”
The two tech titans have been trading barbs on social media ever since. Musk has called Zuckerberg a “robot” and a “dinosaur,” while Zuckerberg has accused Musk of being a “bully” and a “threat to democracy.”
How do they stand against each other?
The fight is sure to be one of a kind, and is projected to break every sold-out record in fight history. Musk has a larger and more physically imposing figure than Zuckerberg, but Zuckerberg has been training Ju-jitsu for years. Musk has once bragged about his street fighting skills on the streets of South Africa, however, Zuckerberg is 11 years younger, and more flexible.
Reports say that Musk has started training for the cage match with Lex Fridman – his training partner. Fridman says he was “extremely impressed with his strength, power, and skill, on the feet and on the ground. It was epic”
The fight is also likely to be a battle of the brains. Musk is a brilliant engineer and entrepreneur, while Zuckerberg is a master of social media and data mining.
While it is too early to say who will win the fight, one thing is for sure: it is going to be one any techy wouldn’t want to miss.
Possible outcomes of the fight
- Musk could win by using his superior size and strength to overpower Zuckerberg.
- Zuckerberg could win by using his Jiu-Jitsu skills to take Musk down and submit him.
- The fight could end in a draw, with both men too exhausted to continue.
No matter who wins, the fight is sure to be entertaining. And who knows, it might even help to settle the score between Musk and Zuckerberg once and for all.
Public response
As expected, the match has thrown memers into overdrive, resulting in hundred of memes about the fight flying all over the internet. We’ll be stingy not to share some, so here are some of the funniest memes and tweets about the fight:
“The fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg is like watching a gorilla fight a baby gorilla.”
“I’m rooting for Mark Zuckerberg, just because I want to see Elon Musk get choked out.”
“The winner of the Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight will be the one who can figure out how to turn off the other guy’s phone.”
If the fight holds, who do you think would win?