Musk vs. Zuckerberg Fight May Never Happen, but Italian Cities Are Still Jostlin
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg can’t seem to agree on whether and when to duke it out in a cage match. Still, Italian cities home to famous archaeological venues are jockeying to be the stage for an event that would bring massive global publicity. Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, set off the frenzy among Italian cities last week with a post on X, his social-media company formerly known as Twitter.
“Everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all. I spoke to the PM of Italy and Minister of Culture. They have agreed on an epic location," Musk wrote.
Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook parent Meta, shot back on Sunday on rival platform Threads, accusing Musk of not being serious about getting into the ring and casting doubt on the fight. “Elon won’t confirm a date, then says he needs surgery, and now asks to do a practice round in my backyard instead. If Elon ever gets serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me." The two tech billionaires said in June that they would fight each other.
Since then they have exchanged blustery gibes but given few concrete details on the bout. Musk’s reference to ancient Rome made many Italians assume he meant the city of Rome rather than the empire. The Colosseum was the obvious contender for a gladiatorial contest.
But what appeared to be a first-round knockout for one of the world’s most recognizable monuments soon turned into a slugfest after Italian officials said the Colosseum, completed in AD 80, was too fragile. Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano hailed the Musk-Zuckerberg fight as a “great event," but didn’t disclose the possible venue. The ministry and the Italian prime minister’s office didn’t respond to requests for
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