Topline
Two of the richest men in the world are still planning to physically fight each other, Elon Musk said Sunday, claiming his rumored cage match with Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg will be live-streamed on his platform X—previously known as Twitter—and will benefit veterans.
Elon Musk Twitter account and Mark Zuckerberg Facebook account are seen on mobile phones screens for … [+] illustartion photo. Photo by Beata Zawrzel
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Key Facts
Musk early Sunday posted that a fight between the two, which was first proposed by Musk in June and was seemingly agreed to by Zuckerberg, will be live-streamed on his platform and proceeds will benefit veterans’ charities—his opponent has not responded to the claim on X, Instagram or Threads, Meta’s new text-based platform.
Musk did not specify what proceeds he expects from the fight, or what charity will benefit.
It was the impending launch of Threads that drove Musk to tweet he was “up for a cage match” and Zuckerberg responded “send me location” in an Instagram post the next day—a reference to UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s same words to Conor McGregor in 2018.
A Meta spokesperson later claimed the 39-year-old is serious about taking on Musk, and UFC president Dana White joined in on the anticipation by launching a Zuckerberg vs. Musk shirt available for purchase and telling the New York Times he would help organize an exhibition match, but talk of the brawl largely died off in mid July.
It’s still unclear if Musk’s Sunday post on X was a true confirmation the match is happening and will be streamed, but Zuckerberg has continued to post progress of his own UFC and MMA training on Instagram, which began before the potential billionaire face-off.
Musk continued to post on X about the potential match on Sunday, writing that he weights “at least 300 lbs” and conceding that in a longer match, Zuckerberg might win on endurance but, “if the fight is short, I probably win.”
In response to one user, who asked “What is the point of the fight?” Musk responded “It’s a civilized form of war. Men love war.”
Forbes Valuation
Musk was ranked as the richest man in the world Sunday with a net worth of $232.5 billion, largely due to his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX as well as his ownership of X. Zuckerberg is ranked the seventh richest, worth $110.1 billion.
This combination of file photographs created on June 22, 2023 shows SpaceX, Twitter and electric car … [+] maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk, right, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Mandel Ngan and Alain Jocard
AFP via Getty Images
Key Background
From mocking each other’s platforms to more personal jabs—Musk tweeted “Zuck is a cuck” and proposed a “literal dick measuring contest” between the two in July—the billionaire tech executives have been making passive-aggressive jabs at each other for several years. The bizarre promise of a cage match seemed to be more of the same until photos of each of the two men training with some of the world’s top fighters gave credence to the idea the fight could actually happen. Musk’s parents even weighed in on the potential face-off, with his dad calling the bout a “no-win situation” and his mom said her son should “fight with words only.” Sports betting site DraftKings ran with the idea and released “projected odds” for the smackdown, naming Zuckerberg as the favorite. Musk, 51, who told Twitter users he “almost never works out,” is several weight classes and about 6 inches taller than 39-year-old Zuckerberg, who competed in his first Brazilian Jiu-jitsu event on May 6. Zuckerberg won two medals, but passed out during a chokehold in one of the fights and even started snoring, the New York Times reported—Zuckerberg later denied passing out.
What To Watch For
A date for the match. The pair have not said when they’ll enter the ring.
Tangent
Despite the tongue-in-cheek plans for a cage fight, other aspects of Musk’s relationship with Zuckerberg are no joke. Shortly after Meta launched Threads as a competitor to X (then known as Twitter), a lawyer for Musk threatened to sue Meta, claiming the tech giant had hired former Twitter employees and absconded with Twitter’s “trade secrets.” Meta communications director Andy Stone denied the claims, writing: “No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing.”
Further Reading
Zuckerberg-Musk Cage Fight: Meta Boss Favorite In Proposed Bout Of Billionaires (Forbes)
Musk Hits Below The Belt With Latest Zuckerberg Attacks: ‘Zuck Is A Cuck’ (Forbes)
Elon Musk Promises To Cover Legal Fees For People Fired Over Tweets (Forbes)
Twitter Threatens Lawsuit Against Meta Over ‘Copycat’ Threads App (Forbes)
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