Mark Zuckerberg takes jab at Elon Musk with first tweet in years
Mark Zuckerberg made a significant splash on Twitter this week when he posted his first tweet in 11 years. The timing of his tweet coincided with the launch of his company Meta’s new Twitter rival, Threads. In the tweet, Zuckerberg shared a photo of a popular meme featuring two Spider-Man characters pointing at each other, which many interpreted as a playful jab at SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Threads, which was launched in over 100 countries, is a highly-anticipated app that allows users to post text, photos, and videos up to five minutes long. Similar to Twitter, users can like, repost, and reply to others. However, Threads does not currently have direct messaging capabilities.
While Threads is a standalone app, it offers integration with Instagram. Users can log in using their Instagram credentials and follow the same accounts, making it appealing to Instagram’s 2 billion monthly active users. Within just seven hours of its launch, Threads gained over 10 million users, including popular Twitter personalities like Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Gates, and Shakira. Even US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has 13.3 million Twitter followers, joined Threads and expressed hopes for a platform with a strong community and less harassment.
Although Mark Zuckerberg’s tweet garnered attention and participation from many celebrities, Elon Musk did not create a Threads account. Instead, he took the opportunity to criticize Instagram, posting on Twitter that being attacked by strangers on Twitter was preferable to the false happiness of Instagram.
This back-and-forth between Zuckerberg and Musk comes after Musk previously challenged Zuckerberg to a cage fight. The challenge occurred when Meta announced its plans to develop a text-based social media platform often referred to as the “Twitter killer.” While it remains unclear if and when the two will legitimately compete, their rivalry has been brewing behind closed doors for years.
Elon Musk, a martial arts enthusiast, was seen training in various disciplines such as Kyokushin karate, taekwondo, judo, and briefly, Brazilian jiujitsu. Recently, he was photographed sparring during an impromptu training session. On the other hand, Zuckerberg has been sharing videos of his training in mixed martial arts (MMA) gyms since September and even won a gold medal in his first amateur Brazilian jiujitsu tournament.
It seems that the rivalry between Zuckerberg and Musk extends beyond business and social media, as they entertain the idea of a physical showdown.
**FAQs**
Q: What is Threads?
A: Threads is a new app launched by Meta that serves as a Twitter rival. It allows users to post text, photos, and videos up to five minutes long. Users can also like, repost, and reply to others’ posts.
Q: Can Threads be used with Instagram?
A: Yes, Threads offers integration with Instagram. Users can log in using their Instagram credentials and follow the same accounts.
Q: How many users did Threads gain within seven hours of its launch?
A: Threads gained over 10 million users within seven hours.
Q: Which celebrities have joined Threads?
A: Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Gates, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, and Wiz Khalifa have joined Threads.
Q: Did Elon Musk create a Threads account?
A: No, Musk did not create a Threads account.
Mark Zuckerberg throws subtle shade at Elon Musk in his long-awaited return to Twitter
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, recently posted his first tweet in over a decade, coinciding with the launch of Threads, Meta’s new Twitter rival. In a playful jab at Elon Musk, Zuckerberg shared a meme featuring two Spider-Man characters pointing at each other. The timing of the tweet suggests that Zuckerberg and Musk are symbolically pointing out their rivalry. Threads, which was released in over 100 countries, allows users to write text posts up to 500 characters long, along with photos and videos up to five minutes long. Similar to Twitter, users can like, repost, and reply to others, although direct messaging is not currently available.
Threads can be accessed as a standalone app or by logging in with Instagram credentials, which may appeal to Instagram’s more than 2 billion monthly active users. Within just seven hours of its launch, Threads garnered over 10 million users, including high-profile accounts such as Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Gates, Shakira, and US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez expressed her hope for a positive community with less harassment in her first Threads post.
While many celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, and Wiz Khalifa, have joined Threads, Elon Musk opted not to create an account. Instead, after Zuckerberg’s tweet, Musk took to Twitter to criticize Instagram, stating that he preferred facing strangers’ attacks on Twitter rather than indulging in the “false happiness” of Instagram.
This recent exchange between Zuckerberg and Musk follows Musk’s challenge to a cage fight with Zuckerberg, which he issued after Meta announced its plans to develop a text-based social media platform often referred to as the “Twitter killer.” Although it remains uncertain whether and when the two tech moguls will officially spar, their rivalry has apparently been ongoing for years behind closed doors.
Musk, who has trained in various martial arts since childhood, including karate, taekwondo, judo, and Brazilian jiujitsu, was seen sparring during a recent training session. Photos were shared by Lex Fridman, a podcaster, AI researcher, and Brazilian jiujitsu black belt, who praised Musk’s strength and skills in both standing and ground positions. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg has been documenting his MMA training in videos since September and recently achieved success in his first amateur Brazilian jiujitsu tournament.
The ongoing rivalry between Zuckerberg and Musk continues to captivate the tech world, and the possibility of a physical confrontation between the two remains a topic of interest.