A clash of tech titans is on the brink of becoming all too real. Twitter owner Elon Musk and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg publicly feud in the virtual world, but now there’s a challenge for a face-to-face physical confrontation.
Meta, the tech giant that owns Facebook, is preparing to launch a direct rival to Musk’s Twitter.
This comes as Musk works to expand his social media presence even further with a purported “everything app,” which many see as a challenge to Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram.
The new Twitter owner apparently threw the first volley, saying in a thread concerning Meta’s pending launch, “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.”
Just prior to that taunting statement, Musk voiced his doubt that Meta would succeed in unseating Twitter globally. “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options.”
As a response to Musk’s apparently tongue-in-cheek challenge, Zuckerberg posted on his Instagram, “Send Me Location.” The Facebook head appeared to take the statement more seriously than it was intended.
MUSK, ZUCKERBERG CAGE FIGHT: 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. MORE: https://t.co/QjXoEdA3EE pic.twitter.com/gsNiDs33Dk
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) June 22, 2023
That, however, did not stop Musk from keeping up the combative back-and-forth. After suggesting a “Vegas Octagon,” he tweeted that “I have this great move called ‘The Walrus’ where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing.”
Zuckerberg is a 39-year-old who aspires to fight MMA and reportedly has won Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. He also recently boasted of completing a grueling workout challenge in a very respectable time.
At 51, Musk is 12 years older and is substantially larger physically. He has recalled being in “real hard-core street fights” when he was a young man in South Africa.
The rivalry between the two, whether it reaches an octagon or not, has noticeably intensified with Musk’s Twitter purchase and Zuckerberg’s pending launch of a well-funded competitor.
Just last week Meta chief product officer Chris Cox told an internal meeting that the company believes it can produce a product that is “sanely run,” a clear reference to Musk’s unorthodox management style. The Meta audience reportedly cheered.
Speaking recently on a podcast, Zuckerberg threw thinly veiled criticism at Twitter, saying he believes the social media platform “should have a billion people using it.”
