Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg

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This article is about the cage match. For the web series episode, see Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg (Epic Rap Battles of History).

Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg
Elon Musk (left) and Mark Zuckerberg (right)
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Elon Musk in 2022
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Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg was a proposed martial arts match between business magnates Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022. He began feuding with Zuckerberg after reports emerged that Instagram, owned by Zuckerberg's company, Meta Platforms, was working on a Twitter competitor. Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a cage match, which Zuckerberg accepted. According to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White, both men were very serious about the fight.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zuckerberg began training in mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and completed his first tournament in May 2023 after paying to have it restarted. After the challenge, both Musk and Zuckerberg received training offers from fighters, with the most famous, being British American social media influencer Andrew Tate. In August, talks restarted about holding the fight, including holding it in Italy.[1]

The fight was seen under the backdrop of a change in Zuckerberg's image, particularly following the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

Background[edit]

Musk–Zuckerberg feud[edit]

In 2014, business magnate and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg invited Elon Musk to his home in an attempt to convince him that he was too alarmist over the safety of artificial intelligence. Musk declined, and has claimed that Instagram "makes people depressed" and Facebook "gives me the willies"; both are owned by Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms.[2] In 2016, SpaceX was contracted on behalf of Facebook to deliver Internet access to parts of sub-Saharan Africa using the AMOS-6 satellite. The rocket exploded, increasing tensions between Musk and Zuckerberg.[3] During a Facebook Live broadcast in 2017, Musk called Zuckerberg's understanding of AI "pretty limited".[4] During the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, Musk deleted the Facebook pages for SpaceX and Tesla.[5] The two jostled for third place on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index until a rally in shares of Tesla, Inc. helped Musk overtake Zuckerberg in August 2020.[6] In March 2022, weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Musk challenged Russian president Vladimir Putin to a fight with Ukraine as the prize. Musk's comments prompted mockery from Roscosmos director Dmitry Rogozin and the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.[7]

In May 2023, Zuckerberg completed his first Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament;[8] he has reportedly won a number of jiu-jitsu tournaments.[9] That month, he claimed to have completed the Murph Challenge in 40 minutes. In June, The Verge reported that Meta Platforms employees were shown a picture of Instagram's upcoming Twitter competitor, codenamed "Project 92";[10] The Verge's reporting came after Moneycontrol reported that Meta Platforms was working on a text-based social media app that March.[11] Musk—who acquired Twitter in October 2022—repeatedly taunted Zuckerberg with comments such as, "Zuck my 👅". Meta Platforms chief product officer Chris Cox told employees that creators want a version of Twitter that is "sanely run" during an internal all-hands meeting, invoking Musk's handling of Twitter.[12]

Initial call[edit]

 Elon Musk Twitter
@elonmusk

I'm up for a cage match if he is lol

June 20, 2023[13]

Replying to a Twitter user informing him that Zuckerberg "does the jiu jitsu now" in response to another user writing that Instagram's Twitter competitor will be called Threads, Musk said that he was "up for a cage match if he is". In response, Zuckerberg screenshotted a reply advising Musk to start training and said "send me location", in apparent reference to Russian mixed martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov,[14] who challenged Conor McGregor using the same words.[15] After The Verge published its story on the encounter, Musk said, "Vegas Octagon", referring to the events facility UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada.[16] Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White said that both men are "dead serious" about the fight.[17] White said that the fight would be larger than Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor in 2017.[18] Musk endorsed podcaster Joe Rogan as a referee.[19] Social media personality and professional boxer Jake Paul offered to promote the fight; Paul is currently in a feud with White.[20] Retired mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen told The MMA Hour that Zuckerberg discussed fighting Musk at UFC 300, a claim that he denies.[21] According to White, he has talked to both men every night to negotiate the fight. By July 1, talks appeared to be establishing broad contours of the event, according to White and three people familiar with the event who spoke to The New York Times.[22]

Training[edit]

Former professional light heavyweight kickboxer and social media personality Andrew Tate offered to train Musk in apparent retaliation for Meta Platforms banning him on Facebook and Instagram for spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation; at the time, Tate was under house arrest after being charged with human trafficking.[23] Current UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones offered to train Zuckerberg, while UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie said he would train Musk, picturing himself in front of three Teslas.[24] Musk has stated that he does not work out and told Rogan that he "wouldn't exercise at all if he could",[25] although he said that he would start training if the match takes shape.[26] On June 27, podcaster Lex Fridman—a practitioner of Brazilian jiu jitsu—had a training session with Musk.[27] Zuckerberg also trained with Fridman.[28] Musk also accepted former mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre's offer to train with him.[29]

Fight details[edit]

Zuckerberg told employees on July 27, 2023 that he was "not sure if [the fight is] going to come together" at an internal town hall meeting, the audio of which was obtained by Reuters.[30] In a series of tweets on August 5, Musk refuted Zuckerberg's statement by claiming that he was "lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight". According to Musk, proceeds will go to a charity for veterans and the fight will be streamed on formerly Twitter.[31] On the same day, Zuckerberg said he was ready to fight Musk and that the fight should be streamed elsewhere to "actually raise money for charity". Zuckerberg suggested fighting on August 26, but Musk has not confirmed the date himself.[32]

Musk offered to fight in Zuckerberg's personal fight ring on August 14; Zuckerberg publicly stated it's "time to move on".[33] In a tweet on August 14, Musk claimed that he would test Tesla's Full-Self Driving capabilities by asking his car to drive him to Zuckerberg's house in Palo Alto, California. The Meta spokesperson Iska Saric told The Verge that Zuckerberg was not in Palo Alto and that he would not "fight someone who randomly shows up at his house".[34]

Musk said that he will use his weight to his advantage, and perform a move called "the Walrus", by which he will simply lie on top of Zuckerberg.[8] He later said he would use a fighting style similar to the choreographed WWE.[35]

Venue[edit]

The fight was initially expected to take place at UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, U.S.[12] Musk suggested that the venue should be changed to the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, in a tweet, sharing a link to the Colosseum fight scene in the beginning of Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979). Italian minister of culture Gennaro Sangiuliano reached out to Zuckerberg to propose the location according to TMZ; both men are intrigued by the idea and reached out to White. The deterioration of the Colosseum from earthquakes and stone robbers taking spolia has reduced the Colosseum's seating to just several hundred people at one time, and it has held few large events in modern history.[36] The Ministry of Culture denied extending an invitation and stated that the fight would have to be non-violent if it were to be held at the Colosseum.[37] In a tweet on August 11, Musk claimed that he had spoken to Sangiuliano, who later stated that talks had not proceeded past logistical questions.[38] According to Sangiuliano, the fight will not be held in Rome but could be held elsewhere in Italy.[39]

Pre-fight analysis[edit]

Vox said that the fight could be brutal, comparing it to the fight between Welcome Back, Kotter star Ron Palillo and Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond on Celebrity Boxing, in which Diamond defeated Palillo and left him with a black eye. Vox also compared Zuckerberg's public image to Musk's, noting that Musk enjoys a larger share of fanatics.[40] Similarly, The Washington Post understood the fight in the context of Zuckerberg's increasing shift towards appearing approachable and edgier, dubbing it "Elonization". Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School at Tufts University and economics scholar Bhaskar Chakravorti said that Zuckerberg feels that "he is not respected".[41] Politico's Nicolas Camut said that officiating the match could be a job for European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton, who met with Zuckerberg and Musk and wants to be known as "The Enforcer".[42]

Former UFC fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Matt Serra put his proverbial bet on Zuckerberg based on his agility.[40] Fight sports journalist Nick Peet told BBC Radio 4's The World at One that Zuckerberg's age and training provide him with an advantage.[43] Texas governor Greg Abbott called the fight the "biggest in UFC history".[44] Maye Musk, Musk's mother, has urged him to fight "with words only".[45] Sports betting company DraftKings' projected odds stood in favor of Zuckerberg.[46] Similarly, offshore sportsbook BetOnline put Musk as an underdog.[47] Total Shape said that, although Musk's endomorphic body type is advantageous, Zuckerberg's agility and endurance would ultimately give him the upper hand.[48] A Paddy Power spokesperson said they'll "both knock some sense into each other".[4]

2023[edit]

On episode #2054 of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) on October 31, 2023,[49] around 2 hours into the conversation, Musk stated that he is still open to fight Zuckerberg "any time, anywhere, any place any rules" [sic]. Rogan, a seasoned fighter and commentator, pushed him on his fitness and readiness. Musk responded that his cardio health "will not be a factor". Later, Musk also remarked that "Dana White thinks it would be a big ticket fight".[a]

In popular culture[edit]

Game designer Jason Kapalka created Zuck vs Musk, a modified version of the browser game WrestleBros. In the game, players control either Musk or Zuckerberg and must fight the other player in a cage match.[50]

References[edit]

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  29. ^ Cuthbertson, Anthony (June 27, 2023). "Elon Musk picks UFC legend to train him for Mark Zuckerberg fight". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  30. ^ Paul, Katie; Dang, Sheila (July 28, 2023). "Meta plans retention 'hooks' for Threads as more than half of users leave app". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
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  33. ^ Davis, Wes (August 13, 2023). "Mark Zuckerberg says it's 'time to move on' from the Elon Musk fight". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
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  35. ^ Javaid, Maham (August 13, 2023). "Musk isn't serious about fighting, Zuckerberg says. Here's the latest". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
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  38. ^ Stokel-Walker, Chris (August 11, 2023). "Elon Musk wasn't lying—he did talk to Italy's culture minister about fighting Mark Zuckerberg". Fast Company. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
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Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Around 2 hours 27 minutes of the JRE podcast conversation


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