The Billionaires’ Battle — Mark Zuckerberg vs Elon Musk
The rivalry that took the internet by storm and has provided fuel for a new world of debate.
The Beginning
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have indeed had public disagreements and clashes over the years. Their differences have been most notable in the realms of technology, artificial intelligence, and space exploration. Here are some key points in their rivalry:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Debate: One of the major points of contention between Musk and Zuckerberg has been their differing views on artificial intelligence. Musk has been quite vocal about his concerns regarding AI’s potential risks and potential to become uncontrollable and harmful to humanity. He’s even co-founded a company called OpenAI to ensure the safe development of AI technology. On the other hand, Zuckerberg has expressed more optimistic views about AI, emphasising its potential benefits and dismissing some of the doomsday scenarios Musk has raised.
SpaceX vs. Facebook Incident: The incident mentioned involved a SpaceX rocket explosion in 2016 that destroyed a satellite belonging to Facebook. This resulted in a public exchange of words between the two. Zuckerberg expressed disappointment in SpaceX’s failure, while Musk defended SpaceX’s work and explained the complexities of space exploration.
Facebook Data Privacy and Cambridge Analytical: The Cambridge Analytica scandal in which Facebook was implicated raised concerns about data privacy and security. Musk responded by deleting the Facebook pages of his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, and openly criticized Facebook for its handling of user data. He stated that Facebook gave him “the willies,” implying a sense of unease.
Competing Technologies: Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX, are focused on electric vehicles, renewable energy, and space exploration. On the other hand, Zuckerberg’s main focus with Facebook has been social media, virtual reality (Oculus), and internet connectivity initiatives (such as the failed Free Basics project). Their companies’ divergent areas of interest have also contributed to their differences.
The Threads vs Twitter battle
Meta took the world by storm when they announced a direct rival app against Twitter by launching Threads by Instagram on the 5th of July, 2023.
Instagram Threads has swiftly amassed over 5 million users, setting a new record for rapid adoption in the messaging app domain. This milestone surpasses even the impressive growth of ChatGPT, which took five days to reach 1 million users. Threads, a spin-off app from Instagram, distinguishes itself by emphasising conversations over visual content. Users can engage in text updates and participate in public discussions by logging in with an Instagram account. The app’s design resembles Instagram’s comment section but incorporates features akin to Twitter, such as the ability to reply and re-share posts. Users can create posts with a generous limit of 500 characters, surpassing Twitter’s 280-character constraint, and can include links, up to 10 photos, and videos lasting up to 5 minutes. Unlike Twitter, however, Threads lacks an editing function and does not utilise hashtags or include a trending section.
The Twitter Rebranding
Following a tweet from Twitter owner Elon Musk, X.com has been redirected to Twitter.com, and there are plans to introduce an “interim X logo” that will replace the iconic Twitter bird logo. In the lead-up to this change, Musk extensively tweeted about it, creating anticipation and buzz among users and followers.
In a significant rebranding move, Twitter has officially become “X” following owner Elon Musk’s decision to replace its iconic bird logo with an “X” symbol. Despite this change, the website Twitter.com remains operational, and the app’s branding appears unchanged as of July 24, 2023. Musk hinted at the logo transformation with a short video of a flickering “X” on July 23 and confirmed the change during a Twitter Spaces audio chat, where he humorously stated that they were “cutting the Twitter logo off the building with blow torches.” To reinforce the new identity, Musk shared an image of the “X” branding beamed across Twitter’s headquarters on July 24. This rebranding marks yet another significant shift since Musk’s takeover of the social media platform.
The Cage Fight
In recent online discussions, there has been widespread speculation around an imagined scenario where Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, both prominent figures in the tech industry, have challenged each other to engage in a cage fight. An update has seemingly emerged from Musk’s X (previously known as Twitter) account, indicating that the precise date for this supposed fight remains uncertain due to a potential requirement for Musk to undergo surgery following an MRI on his neck and upper back. Despite this uncertainty, Musk maintains an optimistic outlook and suggests that a definitive announcement regarding the fight’s schedule could come out anytime shortly.
Meanwhile, on the opposing side, Mark Zuckerberg appears to be eager for this fictional fight to transpire. He recalls having proposed August 26 as a potential date for the event, yet Musk has not confirmed this date, which has left Zuckerberg in a state of suspense. Zuckerberg humorously remarked, “I’m prepared for the event today. I initially suggested Aug 26 in response to his initial challenge, but his confirmation is still pending. I’m not holding my breath.” It’s important to note that the details mentioned appear to be part of an imaginative narrative rather than a factual occurrence. When encountering such information, it’s advisable to verify details through reliable and credible sources.
A lot of anticipation has been built up by both parties, Musk in a tweet stated that he has decided on a venue in Rome and that he has spoken to the authorities to make all the arrangements happen. He also tweeted that the match would be live-streamed on X and that the money from the stream will be donated to charity. To this, Zuckerberg expressed his concern saying that ‘X’ wasn’t the most reliable platform for the streaming of the match.
Some days back Zuckerberg mentioned that Musk has not been serious about the fight and that the best thing to do would be to move on but to this Musk had a different opinion. Musk took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and termed him a “chicken”. Elon Musk also said that he will pay Zuckerberg a surprise visit. Amid the frenzy over the Musk vs Zuck cage fight, Elon Musk humorously revealed his intention to pay a surprise visit to Mark Zuckerberg’s residence for a lighthearted bout, maintaining their ongoing playful rivalry.
How did a cage fight come into the picture?
As Meta prepared to introduce its Twitter competitor named Threads, Elon Musk took to Twitter, expressing his concern that the world was becoming overly dominated by Mark Zuckerberg’s influence, leaving few alternatives. A Twitter user then reminded Musk that Zuckerberg possessed jiu-jitsu training. Musk responded with a lighthearted tweet, saying, “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol.”
Requests for comments from representatives of Musk’s company, X, Meta, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the potential venue owner for the fight, have not been immediately answered via email.
Musk’s intentions for his company, X, involve the creation of a “digital town square,” which has driven his interest in streaming the fight live on that platform. However, Musk’s previous venture into the live audio space encountered issues. During his highly-publicized Twitter Spaces launch event in May, where Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared his presidential candidacy, technical glitches led to a delay of about 30 minutes.
🔵 Reasons for Yes
- Both personalities have been quite vocal ever since the topic started and have left no chance of getting back to one another
- A lot of images have been circulating on the internet of Musk and Zuckerberg training. In case they are planning to stay prepared, the possibility of the fight cannot be overlooked
🔴 Reasons for No:
- It has been nearly 2 months since the discussion on the topic has been all over the news but no progress in terms of setting a date has been initiated by any of the two.
- Mark Zuckerberg has already been seen once to mention that it was time that he and Musk move on from this
