Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg: Bickering and LMIRL

Bickering and LMIRL of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg

(Listed in detail chronologically)  

(Image source=shutterstock)

1. Beginning of the Incident

The speculation about a 'real-life fighting match' between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg began with a war of words on social media.

On June 21, when Meta attempted to initiate a 'thread' to keep Twitter in check, Musk responded sarcastically, stating, "I'm scared to death." In response to someone mentioning, "Zuckerberg says he does jiu-jitsu, be careful," Musk added, "I am ready for a cage fight," sparking the controversy.

Upon learning about Musk's willingness for a cage fight, Zuckerberg posted a screenshot of the exchange on Instagram and invited them to choose a location for the fight, stating, "Send me your location." Musk responded, "If it's real, you should do it. The Las Vegas Octagon," hinting at the possibility of an actual martial arts showdown.

The term ‘Octagon’ refers to the ring used in ‘Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)’ matches held in Las Vegas, the world’s largest mixed martial arts stage.

2. Two Provocative Billionaire CEOs

Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter (July 6, 2023)

On July 6th, Mark Zuckerberg made a surprising return to Twitter after a hiatus of 12 years. His tweet featured a 'dual identity' photo from the Spider-Man comics, portraying a moment where a villain impersonating Spider-Man encounters the real superhero. This image, often used to question identity, led to speculation on social media, with many interpreting it as a playful dig at Elon Musk, given the ongoing rivalry between the two tech CEOs.

Zuckerberg, appearing on Musk's home turf of Twitter, posted a meme that seemed to mock someone, with the prevailing interpretation on social media being that it was a deliberate provocation aimed at Musk.

In the meantime, the two CEOs continued their online banter, seemingly enjoying their social media feud. Zuckerberg heightened the stakes by sharing a photo of himself shirtless, claiming it was a snapshot from a Friday morning brawl in his backyard Octagon (fighting arena).

The story took a surprising turn on August 6th when Musk, using his existing Twitter platform X, announced a live-streamed battle between him and Zuckerberg. Musk declared that all profits from the event would be donated to veterans charities. Moreover, Musk disclosed that the much-anticipated fight would take place at the Colosseum in Italy on August 11th.

This peculiar, fictional narrative captured the attention of social media, blurring the lines between reality and playful speculation from around the world.

Musk's X (August 12, 2023)

Also, on the 12th, Elon Musk posted a picture of himself lifting a child on X(old Twitter).

In addition, Musk mentioned, "I have a special move called 'walrus.' It's a tactic of lying on top of the opponent and doing nothing." 

He later uploaded a video demonstrating the 'walrus' move on X(old Twitter), which led to some suggesting that his confrontation with Zuckerberg might not be very serious.

3. Zuckerberg’s Thread Remarks

On August 13th (local time), Zuckerberg addressed Musk's lack of apparent seriousness regarding the fight in a post on Meta's social media app, Thread. He stated, "I think everyone can see that Elon doesn't seem serious. Now let's move on to the next step." 

Zuckerberg proposed August 26th as the fight date on his Thread account, and Dana White, president of the UFC, suggested turning the fight into a charity event. However, Musk did not provide a definitive response, signaling an end to the ongoing banter. 

Zuckerberg mentioned, "Elon didn't confirm the date and mentioned the possibility of needing surgery. If Elon is serious about a real fight date and a formal event, he would know how to contact me." He continued, "Otherwise, it's time to cancel and move on. I'm going to focus on competing against people who take the sport seriously."

For reference, Musk only indicated that the exact schedule is flexible, as he scheduled a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the neck and upper back for August 7th, and surgery might be necessary, making the fight schedule unclear.

4. Text Conversation Revealed by Musk

On August 13th, the author of Musk's biography, Isaacson, shared a text conversation he had with Musk on social media X (formerly Twitter). 

According to the text, Zuckerberg stated, "If you still want a formal mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, you will have to train yourself and let me know when you are ready to duel." He added, "I don’t want to keep inflating something that isn’t going to happen. You have to decide soon whether you want to do the duel or cancel it and move on." 

Text Conversation Revealed by Musk (August 13, 2023)

Musk responded, "I will be in Palo Alto on Monday," and suggested, "Let’s fight in your Octagon." Palo Alto is a city in California, USA, where Zuckerberg resides, and Musk has disclosed that he has a martial arts arena installed in the backyard of his house.

Musk continued, "Considering the size difference, it's highly unlikely, but if you were a modern-day Bruce Lee, you could probably beat me." In essence, he added another provocation, implying that the size difference and Zuckerberg not being on the level of a fighter like Bruce Lee would make it improbable for him to win.

5. Musk's X (old Twitter) remarks 

On August 15 (local time), Elon Musk posted on his X (Old Twitter) account, saying, "We will be testing out X’s latest live streaming system so we can see this in real-time."

He added, "If we get lucky and Juck opens the door, a confrontation will begin."

Musk's X (August 15, 2023)

Musk tweeted again that day, "The Italian Coliseum kindly offered a fight venue, but Zuckerberg declined." Also, "I suggested Zuckerberg fight in a secure backyard arena, but unfortunately, he was 'traveling,'" he said, pinpointing, "Is there even a place he wants to fight?" 

Musk's X (August 15, 2023-2)

6. Private Forum Instead of Showdown

On September 13th (local time), the 'AI Insight Forum' was held privately at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Democratic Congressman Chuck Schumer, this event was attended by experts discussing the future and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). It was intended to gather insights from the IT industry. 

Both Musk and Zuckerberg were present at the event. Given their recent social media sparring, which even involved discussions about the Colosseum in Italy as a potential fight location, the public was curious about when the two would actually cross paths.

However, the meeting did occur in Washington, D.C., not Italy, and in a conference hall rather than a battleground. Musk and Zuckerberg sat at a considerable distance from each other, occupying seats near the ends of a long, oval-shaped table.

Despite the formal setting, Musk mentioned the martial arts match as he left Congress after the meeting. In response to a reporter's question about this, he said, "If he wants to," indicating that the possibility of a 'LMIRL' was not extinguished. In contrast, Zuckerberg left Congress without answering the reporter's question that day. 

So far, we have explored the origins and evolution of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg's showdown. It nearly evolved into the battle of the century, capturing global attention, but it seems likely to ultimately be remembered as the bickering of the century.

As the corporate value fell after Musk acquired Twitter and coincided with the timing of Zuckerberg's launch of Thread, I consider it an incident between the two CEOs who aimed to gain business benefits through such a large-scale coat-trailing. 

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