'Fight of the Century' Musk vs Zuckerberg: Will It Be Called Off? (Summary)

Zuckerberg on the 13th: "Time to Move On"
Musk Responds to Date Proposal: "Let's Have a Practice Match"
Threads Launch and X Debut Draw Global Attention
"Low Likelihood of MMA Becoming Reality... Just a Show"

The much-anticipated showdown between Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and chairman of Twitter, and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, which was expected to be the "fight of the century," is now likely to be canceled.

This match, dubbed "Twitter vs. Threads," attracted global attention with the expectation that the rivalry between the social networking services (SNS) would escalate into an actual fight between their chairmen. Over two months, the hype grew so intense that Italy's Colosseum in Rome was even mentioned as a potential venue, but now there are prospects that it might end as a mere farce.

◆ Musk: "Practice fight at your place" → Zuckerberg: "Time to move to the next stage"

On the 13th (local time), Zuckerberg posted on Meta’s SNS app Threads, stating, "I think everyone agrees that Elon is not serious and that it’s time to move on to the next stage."

He pointed out that he proposed a fight date and that UFC president Dana White suggested holding it as a charity match, but Musk is not taking it seriously. In fact, Zuckerberg had proposed June 26 as the fight date in a Threads post on the 6th.

Zuckerberg said, "Elon hasn’t confirmed a date, saying he needs surgery, and now he’s suggesting a practice fight in my backyard. If Elon is serious about an actual fight date and an official event, he knows how to contact me," he criticized. He added, "Otherwise, it’s time to move on. I will focus on competing with people who take sports seriously."

Mark Zuckerberg [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

This implies that if Musk does not give a definite answer regarding the fight schedule he proposed, Zuckerberg intends to end the debate. Musk mentioned that due to MRI scans needed for his neck and back and possible surgery, the schedule is uncertain, but he has not provided a clear response.

Zuckerberg’s remarks came after Walter Isaacson, the author writing Musk’s biography, revealed text messages he received from Musk on his Twitter account. The tweet included screenshots of messages exchanged between Musk and Zuckerberg.

According to the messages, Musk proposed, "Let’s have a practice fight at your place next week," to which Zuckerberg replied, "If we’re not doing an actual MMA fight, let’s stop." Musk then said he would be in Palo Alto, California, on Monday (the 14th) and again suggested fighting at Zuckerberg’s house. This exchange is captured in the screenshots Zuckerberg described.

◆ What Meta and Twitter did during the two months that captured the world’s attention

Since June, Musk and Zuckerberg have been engaged in an online war of words about the possibility of an actual fight. At that time, Meta was about to launch Threads, an app positioned as a rival to Twitter. Musk mocked it, and when someone commented, "Be careful, Zuckerberg does jiu-jitsu," Musk replied, "I’m ready to fight," sparking the feud.

Zuckerberg responded on Instagram, "Send your location," challenging Musk to pick a place, and Musk replied, "If it’s real, then let’s do it," raising expectations that the two American billionaires would face off in the fight of the century.

What started as a war of nerves between two billionaires gradually became more concrete. The fight venue was initially suggested by Musk as the UFC octagon in Las Vegas, but later even Italy’s Colosseum in Rome was mentioned, showing signs of overheating.

What is noteworthy is that at the very moment these two captured global attention, Meta and Twitter were undergoing major transformations.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Meta launched Threads in over 100 countries on the 5th of last month. Within just five days of launch, Threads gained 100 million users. On the 26th of last month, Meta surprised the market by posting its best quarterly earnings since the pandemic. Although Threads’ popularity has somewhat waned since its initial launch, it has effectively established itself as the only real rival to Twitter, and foreign media have noted that Zuckerberg’s previously somewhat gloomy image has been somewhat reversed.

Musk’s Twitter also removed its iconic blue bird logo on the 24th of last month, replacing it with a black letter "X." The company name was changed from Twitter to X, marking the start of its transformation into a super app capable of messaging and payments. Musk explained, "Twitter was acquired by X Corporation to guarantee freedom of speech and accelerate the 'everything app' X."

◆ "Fight’s feasibility? 'Doubtful'... Just a show"

How should the global public interpret the war of words between Musk and Zuckerberg that shook the world?

The Washington Post (WP) reported that when sociologists and others were asked about the likelihood of an actual fight, they said "the chances are very slim." While it is difficult to identify a specific expert on this matter, the report covered interpretations of the feud and its consequences.

Elon Musk [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

According to the report, Matthew DePlem, a sociology professor at the University of South Carolina, said, "Honestly, I’m very skeptical that the fight will materialize. The idea of a fight is exciting, but in reality, it’s likely to backfire." Laura Grindstaff, chair of sociology at UC Davis, also said the likelihood is very low and described it as hype.

Benjamin Little, a researcher of famous IT industry figures, said, "This is just part of a large-scale publicity stunt they are trying to pull off," adding, "Even UFC is doing this because it has great promotional value." In fact, UFC’s publicly available schedule shows no events related to the two billionaires’ fight through November 11 of this year.

Little and Allison Winch, author of the book titled "The New Elders of Digital Capitalism," analyzed that the fight feud is an attempt by both men to craft a new brand image of eccentric masculinity. Winch said, "Zuckerberg has long leaned on his identity as a 'dad,' while Musk has projected an Iron Man persona, but recently he has relied more on an 'alpha male' style, referring to the dominant male leader."