The two of the most influential and wealthy tech entrepreneurs in the world have agreed to settle their differences in a cage fight.
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Meta, formerly known as Facebook, have exchanged messages on social media indicating their willingness to face each other in a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout.
The challenge originated from Mr. Musk, who tweeted that he was “up for a cage fight” with Mr. Zuckerberg after hearing that the latter was working on a rival to Twitter, Mr. Musk’s preferred platform.
Mr. Zuckerberg responded by posting a screenshot of Mr. Musk’s tweet on his Instagram story with the caption “Send me location”. Mr. Musk then suggested “Vegas Octagon” as the venue for the fight, referring to the competition mat and fenced-in area used for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events.
He also joked that he had a move called “The Walrus” where he would just lie on top of his opponent and do nothing.
The two tech moguls have a history of clashing over the future of artificial intelligence (AI), with Mr. Musk warning about its potential dangers and Mr. Zuckerberg is more optimistic about its benefits.
They have also competed for the spot of the world’s richest person, with Mr. Musk currently holding the title with a net worth of over $300 billion.
The proposed cage fight has sparked a lot of interest and speculation among social media users, who have been debating who would win, posting memes and jokes, and suggesting possible names for the event.
Some bookmakers have also offered odds on the outcome, with Mr Zuckerberg being the favorite according to some sources. However, it is unclear whether the challenge is serious or not, or whether it will actually happen.
Neither Mr. Musk nor Mr. Zuckerberg have officially confirmed or denied their intention to fight each other. A spokesperson for Meta told CNN that “the [Instagram] story speaks for itself”, while Twitter did not provide a statement when contacted by BBC. A representative for UFC did not respond to requests for comment.