Musk Vs. Zuckerberg: Everything You Need To Know Before Their Cage Fight
You can almost hear the rumble in the Silicon Valley as the battle of the billionaire bros heats up. In the black corner, Elon Musk; in the blue, Mark Zuckerberg. The two cyber CEOs — well, one current and one former, as nobody's quite sure what Musk's doing since his time as Twitter CEO finally came to an end — are gearing up to duke it out in the weirdest cage fight since two Russian dudes went at it in blindfolds in 2022.
Neither Musk nor Zuckerberg is lacking in the ego stakes, so it was only a matter of time before the tech titans started trading trash tweets. Still, nobody could really have imagined either in a near-naked choke hold together. However, everything changed following the launch of Threads, Zuckerberg's challenger to Twitter (aka "the bird killer").
The New York Times reports that it kicked off after Zuckerberg posted about seeking a fight rival. Musk threw down the gauntlet and challenged Zuckerberg to throw down. "I'm up for a cage match if he is," Musk tweeted, hedging his bets by adding "LOL." Zuck didn't miss a beat. "Send me the location," he responded on Instagram, along with a screenshot of Musk's dare. So what led up to the great Musk v. Zuckerberg fight? And is it ever actually going to happen? Here's everything you need to know before their cage fight.
Billionaire beef
So what's the beef between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg that's resulted in the possibility of an epic cage fight? The Verge reports that the two have a long-standing rivalry. Still, things worsened after Zuckerberg revealed his plans for his competing Twitter platform, Threads. Meta's product primo, Chris Cox, threw some serious shade at Musk during a presentation to employees. "We've been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run, that they believe that they can trust and rely upon for distribution," he said. (Oh no, he didn't.) Adding to the indignity, Cox announced they'd already garnered interest from Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Llama, no less.
"Thank goodness they're so sanely run," Musk tweeted. The platform's founder and former CEO, Jack Dorsey, bravely jumped into the fray, proving he was firmly #TeamElon. "All your Threads are belong to us [sic]," he tweeted. Musk gave two thumbs up to his predecessor's claim. "Yeah," Musk added.
Zuckerberg quickly took up arms and started ruthlessly mocking his competitor by replying to Thread messages with just one word and an emoji — in typical Musk fashion, per the New York Post. Who doesn't love the smell of billionaire bro brawl testosterone in the morning? Clearly, Musk and Zuckerberg do, as it was on.
The Zuck
Contrary to popular belief, Mark Zuckerberg doesn't always wear the same outfit. When he's not clad in his usual grey T-shirt, hoodie, jeans, and Nike sneakers (or suit and tie for a congressional hearing), the Meta multitasker loves to get his Jiu-Jitsu on. And sorry, Elon Musk, but he's good... really good.
Zuckerberg scored gold and silver in his first-ever Jiu-Jitsu tournament. ESPN reports that Zuck wowed his coach when he won the no-gi white belt in the Master 1 round at the BJJ Tour Silicon Valley. "He's amazing," Dave Camarillo, who's been training Zuckerberg for a year, told ESPN. "I think he has a good balance between what he does with his business and what he does in the physical realm," the former coach of the US Kickboxing Academy added. "And he excels. He's one of the best students I've ever had." Zuckerberg has a history of keeping fit. He told Joe Rogan (via ESPN) that he used to surf and run before discovering MMA.
The Guardian reports that Zuck also completed the grueling "Murph challenge" in June, which comprised of a mile-long run, 100 pull-ups, 200 press-ups, and 300 squats before finishing off with another mile-long run while wearing a 9kg (20lb) vest. Zuckerberg completed the event in 39 minutes and 58 seconds, placing him among the top 1% of competitors. "The last mile run when your legs are torched from the squats and your heart rate is pegged is pretty brutal too," he told reporters.
The Musk
Elon Musk isn't renowned for his work-life balance. In fact, he admitted to working 120-hour weeks at Tesla. "It's not been great, actually. I've had friends come by who are really concerned," he told the New York Times in a tearful interview admitting his work ethic seriously impacted his health. Musk even skipped his birthday in favor of hunkering down in the office to meet a tight deadline for producing a new model Tesla. When he took over Twitter, Musk warned existing employees that they better match his never-ending thirst for work or shuffle off and get a new job (via the Financial Times).
So, not surprisingly, Musk's fitness regime hasn't been a priority in his life. He told Auto Bild that he'd whittled his eight diet Cokes a day habit down to just one or two, along with "a couple" of coffees. Musk also confessed to overeating at business dinners. "I certainly could be slimmer," he admitted. Musk shared that his workouts consisted of "a little bit on the treadmill" and picking up some dumbbells once or twice a week.
Still, Musk is committed to upping his game ahead of the big bro brawl. "Am lifting weights throughout the day, preparing for the fight. Don't have time to work out, so I just bring them to work," he tweeted on August 6. In his battle with the bulge, Musk's also been sharing various fitness tips with his followers, such as promoting the zero fasting app.
Who'd be the tech titan supreme?
What Elon Musk lacks in fitness, he makes up for in bluster and bombast. Also, Musk does not like to lose and he could be a dark horse, so you should never write him off. Still, Mark Zuckerberg is also a reigning champ regarding ego and conceit. And he also definitely does not like to lose. So, who's the predicted fight frontrunner?
The Independent notes that at over 6-ft tall, compared to Zuckerberg's 5-ft 8-in frame, Musk has a height advantage, increased reach, and of course, extra weight. Plus, Musk's laissez-faire attitude to working out isn't entirely truthful. According to his sparring partner, he's been upping his game as of late, and the results are impressive. "I did an impromptu training session with [Elon Musk] for a few hours yesterday," Lex Fridman tweeted on June 27. "I'm extremely impressed with his strength, power, and skill on the feet and on the ground. It was epic."
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg has speed and agility on his side, and experience, too. Still, even his MMA trainer, Khai "The Shadow" Wu, refuses to bet the bank on Zuck. Wu gushed about his client's work ethic and extraordinary personality in an interview with Forbes. But he declined to speculate whether he could KO Musk in the cage. Instead, he shared the same sentiment as 99% of the population. "I'm like you; I'm like 'How crazy is this?'" Wu said.
Show me the money
So, who's the one to back in the big bro brawl of the century — Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg? Perhaps a better question would be: Will the big bro brawl of the century ever actually happen? The Zuck certainly has his doubts. He shared his concerns on Threads. "I'm ready today," Zuckerberg wrote on Sunday. "I suggested August 26 when he first challenged, but he hasn't confirmed. Not holding my breath."
Zuckerberg was responding to Musk's earlier tweet about how he was raring to go. Musk later shared that the "Zuck v Musk fight will be live-streamed on X. All proceeds will go to charity for veterans." And that he was "going with @WWE as my fighting style."
But Musk's fighting talk took a backseat on August 7 when he declared that ongoing issues with his neck and back meant he would probably need to postpone the big fight due to medical complications. "Exact date is still in flux," he tweeted. "I'm getting an MRI of my neck & upper back tomorrow. May require surgery before the fight can happen. Will know this week." It's safe to say that Zuckerberg's likely still not holding his breath.