The Actual Occurrence of the Fight Remains Uncertain
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), engaged in a war of words challenging each other to "settle it with a fight," drawing attention to whether this epic showdown will actually take place.
On the 22nd (local time), according to CNN in the U.S., online betting has already begun on the outcome of their duel. According to the sports betting platform OddsPedia, after aggregating bets from various online gambling sites in North America, bettors predict Mark Zuckerberg's winning probability at 83%, forecasting a decisive victory.
A graphic by the UK Daily Mail evaluating the abilities of Musk and Zuckerberg. Musk received a perfect score in "wealth" as he had already surpassed Zuckerberg in assets by 2020. On the other hand, Zuckerberg, who recently learned jiu-jitsu and placed in a regional competition, received a perfect score in "fitness." [Photo by Daily Mail]
Earlier, Musk and Zuckerberg exchanged heated words on social networking services (SNS). As emotions flared, they concluded with a challenge to "settle it with a fight."
A user sent Elon Musk a message about Meta's upcoming launch of the 'Threads' service, which is intended to rival Twitter. The user asked Musk, "Will Threads really become a true Twitter rival?" Musk responded with a mocking comment, "The entire planet will be ruled by Zuckerberg's fingers without any alternatives."
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms (hereafter Meta), and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, engaged in a heated exchange over the launch of Meta's 'Twitter rival' app. [Photo by Twitter]
When another user commented, "Be careful, Zuckerberg practices Brazilian martial art jiu-jitsu," Musk replied, "I am ready to fight in the cage (the fighting area in mixed martial arts)."
Seeing this, Zuckerberg captured the conversation and posted it on his Instagram with the message, "Send your location." Musk responded eagerly, "Las Vegas Octagon." The Octagon refers to the eight-sided cage where UFC matches take place.
Whether the actual fight will happen is uncertain... "If it does, it will be a chaotic battle"
Tech media outlet The Verge reported that the exchange between the two is no mere bluff, raising the stakes. Citing a Meta spokesperson, The Verge stated, "Zuckerberg's Instagram post was not a joke, and now the ball is in Musk's court." Twitter declined to comment to the BBC, avoiding a direct response.
The reason bettors estimate Zuckerberg's winning probability at 83% is because he has trained in Brazilian martial art jiu-jitsu. Zuckerberg has been practicing jiu-jitsu for the past 2 to 3 years and recently won gold and silver medals at local competitions. Additionally, Zuckerberg is 39 years old, while Musk is 51, giving Zuckerberg a clear advantage in stamina and technique.
On the other hand, Musk's advantage over Zuckerberg lies in his weight class. Musk stands 190 cm tall and weighs close to 80 kg, whereas Zuckerberg is in the early 170 cm range and weighs about 70 kg.
Whether Zuckerberg and Musk will actually face off in Las Vegas remains uncertain. Nevertheless, as the two tech CEOs hint at a fistfight, some are discussing specific winning probabilities, attracting attention. Sports betting company Paddy Power predicts that while the fight may not actually happen, if it does, it will likely be a chaotic contest.
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