2023-08-16 18:15:22
The two billionaires have continued to communicate about a possible confrontation in the context of an MMA match, before the boss of Meta calms things down.
Two of the biggest tech billionaires clashing with their bare hands in front of an excited audience, all broadcast live on the Internet. The wacky scenario of an MMA (mixed martial arts) fight between Mark Zuckerberg, boss of the Meta group, and Elon Musk, owner of X (ex-Twitter), has kept internet users in suspense since the end of June. It seems now definitively buried.
Last Sunday, Mark Zuckerberg calmed things down and urged Internet users not to take what his rival said about this fight seriously. “It is time to move on”, even wrote the CEO. A message that marks the end of several weeks of unusual exchanges between the two bosses. The latter will have contributed to their publicity, even if it means forgetting the difficulties encountered by their respective social networks.
June 20: “ I’m ready for a cage fight »
It all starts at the end of June, when Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, long-time rivals, challenge each other via social networks. The culmination of the exchange, the boss of Tesla posted the following message on his Twitter account:I’m ready for a cage fight“, in reference to the cage in which the clashes of MMA (mixed martial arts) are held. Neither one nor two, Mark Zuckerberg answers him on Instagram: “Send me the address». «Vegas Octagon“Offers Elon Musk in the process, referring to the famous room of the UFC, the main organization of MMA competitions in the United States.
Mark Zuckerberg, boss of Meta, responds to the provocations of Elon Musk who offers him a fight in a cage on Instagram with a simple: “send me the place”. Instagram screenshot
It does not take more to trigger a myriad of reactions on social networks. THE “fight of the centurybetween the two tech moguls becomes a topic of conversation like any other: “ Where will this take place?», «When?», «Comment?», “Is it really serious?”. Articles and tweets are linked and everyone has their opinion on which of the two billionaires is most likely to win the fight. Mark Zuckerberg is the favorite: the boss of Meta is a fan of martial arts, and participates in jiu-jitsu competitions of which he regularly posts videos on his own social networks.
For his part, Elon Musk prides himself on never playing sports, but the man has long had a sense of buzz. To fuel the rumours, he proposes that the event take place at the Colosseum, in Italy and claims to have started training, of which he posts the smallest details on the networks. On the side of France, the Nîmes tourist office offers its own arenas for the fight, in a tweet published on July 1.
In the background, the confrontation between X and Threads
In the background of this exchange more than media, a competition which is played on the market of the social networks. Since Elon Musk’s takeover of the social network Twitter in October 2022, for 44 billion dollars, the Meta group has never hidden its intention to take advantage of the difficulties of the platform to launch its own alternative.
Named Threads, this competing application was finally deployed in around 40 countries on July 5 and reached 100 million active users in less than a week, a record. A successful launch that provokes new verbal attacks between the two bosses. Elon Musk notably accuses his competitor of having voluntarily recruited several of his former employees and of stealing his trade secrets to develop Threads. Quickly, however, Zuckerberg’s competing platform saw its number of daily visitors plummet.
August 6: the first doubts arise
On August 6, Elon Musk communicates again about the fight. “The first episode will air on X“, assures the billionaire in a message posted on the social network, specifying that “all proceeds will be donated to organizations supporting veterans».
A way, it seems, to divert attention from the criticism that rains down on the new changes on the social network. Shortly before, the billionaire renamed the platform “X“, with the aim of definitively turning the page of the Twitter brand. At the same time, the platform is cut off from many services to convince its users to subscribe to the Blue paid service, billed at just under $10 per month and which allows them to obtain the certification check mark but also to access TweetDeck. , or to be able to exchange without restrictions between users.
But the varnish is starting to crack. On Threads, Mark Zuckerberg says he no longer really believes that the confrontation will take place. If he proposed the date of August 26 for the fight, Elon Musk would not have followed through. Another factor of doubt: the latter affirms on August 7 on X that he must “get an MRI of his neck and back” and that surgery may be required.
Read alsoWill Elon Musk definitely break Twitter?
August 11: The hypothesis quickly swept away from the Colosseum
On August 11, the boss of Tesla revived speculation: the Italian government had given its agreement for the match to take place in a “epic location». «Everything in the frame of the camera will be like the time of ancient Rome, so nothing modern“, announces Elon Musk on August 11, which specifies that the fight will be broadcast jointly on X and the social networks of the Meta group.
The Italian Minister of Culture confirms, in a press release, to discuss with the billionaire to organize “and great charity event evoking history” from the country. The amount that could be raised, estimated at “several million euros, will be donated to two Italian hospitals for children“, he adds.
However, the same day, Mark Zuckerberg reveals on Threads that no date has yet been set for the fight. “If Elon ever ends up agreeing to something, you’ll find out from me. Until then, please assume that nothing he says has been approved.on Meta’s side.
August 13:It is time to move on »
Sunday August 13, the boss of Meta seems to want to put a definitive end to speculation. “We can all agree that Elon isn’t serious and it’s time to move onhe wrote on Threads. “Elon doesn’t confirm a date, says he needs surgery, and now he’s offering me a training session in my garden (…) I prefer to focus on competitions with people who take this sports seriously.»
«Zuck is a wimp“, retorted the main interested party before telling this Tuesday, in a new tweet on X, how he would have liked to go Monday evening to the home of Mark Zuckerberg to challenge him directly at home but that “tragically he was on the move». As noted by the Platformer mediaElon Musk has been in Cleveland, Ohio since Monday, 3,500 kilometers from Silicon Valley.
Are these posts meant to distract from the bad news piling up for X? This same weekend, data relayed by the website Mashable show that the social network is struggling to garner paying subscribers. Despite the announcement of advertising revenue sharing for subscribers, the service would have won only 94,000 new customers between July 1 and August 10.
Another revelation of the weekend, the Washington Post revealed how X was slowing down sharply access to links pointing to its competitors such as YouTube, Instagram or…Threads. What Elon Musk has not, for the time being, reacted to.
#months #promises #bluffs