Twitter and Facebook may be about to go to war, with their respective owners sitting in as proxy, as billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg may or may not be joking as they start to settle on the details of a "cage match."
Is flying into outer space not enough of a distraction for the world's richest people anymore? Now, we've got Elon Musk challenging Mark Zuckeberg to a fight ... and Zuck accepting!
Aside from the obvious fact that Twitter and Meta/Facebook are obvious rivals in the tech and social media spheres, Musk got this whole ball rolling when he verbally jabbed Zuckerberg over reports Meta is working on their more direct competitor to Twitter, Threads.
"I'm sure Earth can't wait to be exclusively under Zuck's thumb with no other options," Musk tweeted.
I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2023 @elonmusk
At least it will be “sane”. Was worried there for a moment 😅.
I’m up for a cage match if he is lol
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2023 @elonmusk
When someone commented on his tweet that he "better be careful" because Zuckerberg "does the ju jitsu [sic] now," Musk replied, "I'm up for a cage match if he is lol."
Now, there's every possibility that Musk was joking in that moment, but things might be getting more serious. After all, billionaire egos are in play and Zuckerberg seems down to get down.
Taking to his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Zuckerberg wrote over a screenshot of Musk's challenge -- as well as the response, "Lol I love you Elon but you better start training" -- with the words, "Send Me Location."
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View StoryI’ve confirmed that Mark Zuckerberg is serious about fighting @elonmusk and is now waiting on the details (if Musk decides to follow through)
— Alex Heath (@alexeheath) June 22, 2023 @alexeheath
“The story speaks for itself,” a Meta spokesperson says re: Zuck’s IG post saying “send me location”https://t.co/4g1IkqOl47
Shortly thereafter, an editor for The Verge reported that Zuckerberg seems pretty serious, saying that a spokesperson for Meta said, referring to Zuck's IG Stories post, "The story speaks for itself."
Well, not one to back down from a challenge (that he started, after all), Musk shot back later in the evening, "Vegas Octagon." This, of course, refers to the UFC Apex arena. He might need to be serious about training, though, because Zuckerberg certainly has been.
The tech wiz has been training in Brazilian jiu jitsu for over a year now and fought against UFC champ Alexander Vokanovski in February. He's also six weeks out from his first jiu-jitsu tournament, where he won "some medals," per his own IG post, where he showed both gold and silver.
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View StoryI have this great move that I call “The Walrus”, where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2023 @elonmusk
As for Musk, he cracked a joke after declaring the "Octagon," replying to his own tweet with, "I have this great move that I call 'The Walrus,' where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing."
Look, we don't know anymore if this world is real life or a simulation owned by billionaires Musk and Zuckerberg, but regardless, we are so down for this match. Make it an event for charity and do something good for the world with it.
And maybe (definitely) do some training beforehand if your name is Elon Musk. We're just saying.