New York [US], August 7: Billionaire Elon Musk suggested that plans to fight a cage match against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg still stand.
Musk claimed in a late-night post to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that the fight between the two billionaires would be broadcast live on the platform, with proceeds to be donated to military veterans in the United States.
Musk bought Twitter for $44bn and renamed the platform "X." Zuckerberg did not immediately offer a response to Musk's comments, which were made in the middle of the night on the US West Coast.
Zuckerberg, 39, regularly trains with martial arts coaches and is visibly fitter than the 52-year-old Musk. Musk claimed on Sunday night that he now brings weights with him to work and lifts during the day because he doesn't have time to work out. Musk initially challenged Zuckerberg to a physical fight in June and Zuckerberg agreed. But subsequent public silence from both led many to doubt that the two would actually meet in the ring.
In June, the two Big Tech billionaires seemingly agreed to participate in a cage fight. The stakes for the potential fight were raised last month when Zuckerberg's Meta launched a new Twitter competitor called Threads. Since Musk's takeover of Twitter in October 2022, policy pivots, technical issues, and the platform's stance on harassment and hate speech have given many users whiplash. When Threads was released, some saw it as a viable alternative that might unseat its rival, and the app saw enormous initial success. A lawyer representing Twitter even threatened a lawsuit over Threads.
Neither Musk nor Zuckerberg has confirmed whether an agreement has been reached on the fight. CNN has reached out to Twitter and Meta for comment but has not received a response.
The New York Times newspaper, however, reported in early July that preparations were being made for an actual fight.
The brouhaha began when Musk said in a June 20 post that he was "up for a cage match" with Zuckerberg, who is trained in jiujitsu.
A day later, Zuckerberg, 39, who has posted pictures of matches he has won on his company's Instagram platform, asked Musk, 51, to "send location" for the proposed throwdown, to which Musk replied "Vegas Octagon", referring to an events centre where mixed martial arts (MMA) championship bouts are held.
Source: Qatar Tribune