Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have been rivals for years, but their tensions have grown increasingly public as the two billionaires tease a cage fight and clash over Meta's attempt to make a Twitter alternative.
Musk and Zuckerberg are two of the wealthiest men alive and own some of the largest tech companies in history. While the billionaires previously ran in opposite industries that rarely competed with one another, they have reportedly clashed privately in the past. However, the tensions appear to have started in 2016 with an exploding rocket.
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A rocket from Musk's company SpaceX had been contracted to shuttle a satellite into space as part of Facebook's efforts to increase internet access in Africa. An explosion during a routine test firing destroyed the rocket and satellite, sparking tensions between the two. "I'm deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent," Meta's CEO wrote.
The two also verbally sparred over the dangers of artificial intelligence. Zuckerberg stated during a 2019 Facebook Live event that he was "optimistic" about AI and its future. "I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited," Musk said in response.
Musk's companies, Tesla and SpaceX, deleted their Facebook pages in 2018 over security problems. "Facebook gives me the willies," Musk tweeted in 2022.
The pair had previously complained about one another in private. Zuckerberg voiced his desire for the esteem that Musk received for his various projects, while Musk was annoyed that Zuckerberg had acquired so much capital for creating a social network. This feud occasionally came out in public through jabs on social media.
It wasn't until there were news stories about Meta's plans to create the Twitter clone Threads that Musk grew more vocal.
"I'm up for a cage match if he is lol," Musk tweeted, referring to the Meta founder's training in martial arts. Zuckerberg posted an image on Instagram requesting Musk's location, followed by Musk confirming an interest in the fight. While no official plans have arisen to broadcast or host such a fight, supporters of Musk and Zuckerberg are interested in seeing the brawl play out.
A cage match is not the only example of the Big Tech rivalry spilling out into the open. Zuckerberg launched Instagram Threads on Wednesday, receiving over 30 million signups within 24 hours. The Facebook founder broke his 11-year Twitter silence to post a meme mocking Musk for the creation of a similar product.
— Mark Zuckerberg (@finkd) July 6, 2023
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Musk was not pleased with the product's launch. Twitter's legal team sent a letter to Zuckerberg threatening legal action for allegedly using former Twitter employees to build a Twitter clone with Threads. Meta denies these claims, noting that no former Twitter employees were involved in the creation of Threads.
Zuckerberg's launch of Threads appears to build on Musk's struggles with Twitter. The company saw its ad sales drop 59% year over year in June. It has also made several complicated content moderation decisions to uphold Musk's vision of a free speech platform.