Two of the world’s richest and most influential males, who occur to run rival social media networks, appeared to goad one another into agreeing to a combat, setting their platforms abuzz on the notion of a “cage match” between the billionaires.
Elon Musk, who regularly posts jokes and provocations on Twitter, which he purchased for $44 billion final 12 months, responded this week to tweets a couple of potential competing service by Meta, run by Mark Zuckerberg, by saying, “I’m up for a cage match if he is.”
On Instagram, the social community owned by Meta, Mr. Zuckerberg responded with a screenshot of Mr. Musk’s tweet and the caption, “Send Me Location.”
It went on from there, in a outstanding demonstration of the defiant, combative tone of “bro” tradition in Silicon Valley, although sparring on social media has hardly ever, if ever, spilled into the bodily world.
A Meta spokeswoman mentioned Mr. Zuckerberg’s response “speaks for itself.” Twitter’s media workplace auto-responded to a request for remark with a poop emoji.
Last summer time, Mr. Zuckerberg mentioned he had taken up Brazilian jujitsu. He has since posted a number of instances about his coaching, together with photographs with skilled fighters like Dave Camarillo and Mikey Musumeci. Last month, Mr. Zuckerberg competed in his first Brazilian jujitsu occasion, in Woodside, Calif., the place he defeated an Uber engineer and received two medals.
Mr. Musk mentioned, “I almost never work out.” He proposed that the combat be held at an enviornment in Las Vegas.
More than in different sectors, tech leaders have been recognized to embrace battle in public boards, mentioned Katy Cook, writer of “The Psychology of Silicon Valley,” who described the business as a “male-dominated, emotionally primitive” surroundings the place leaders are rewarded for shows of hypermasculinity.
“When you get a taste of power via some of those ways of behaving, it tastes good for a lot of people,” Ms. Cook mentioned.
The two moguls have a historical past of butting heads — rhetorically, not bodily — over massive matters of their business. Mr. Zuckerberg invited Mr. Musk to a dinner at his residence in 2014 to attempt to persuade him that he was too alarmist in regards to the threats of synthetic intelligence. Mr. Musk didn’t change his thoughts, and has continued to warn of the risks of A.I. Mr. Musk has mentioned that Instagram “makes people depressed” and that Facebook, additionally owned by Meta, “gives me the willies.”
Source: www.nytimes.com