Talk of a fight between Mark Zuckerberg (left) and Elon Musk began in June. Photo / Getty Images
Talk of a fight between Mark Zuckerberg (left) and Elon Musk began in June. Photo / Getty Images
The much-hyped cage fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, two giants of the tech world, appears to be on after the Italian government said it had agreed to host “a big event” at an ancient Roman location.
The Italian culture ministry said it was planning to holda large event involving the rival billionaires in a historical setting.
It would not be held in the Colosseum, as had been mooted previously, but in another location somewhere in Italy, a ministry spokesman told The Telegraph.
The spokesman would not be drawn on speculation that the venue could be an ancient Roman site such as Pompeii, Herculaneum or the amphitheatre at Verona, northern Italy.
A ministry spokesman said the fight would not be held in the Colosseum. Photo / 123rf
All Access. All in one subscription.From $2 per week
Earlier, Musk had written on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that he had met the culture minister as well as Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, and that they had “agreed on an epic location”.
He tweeted the word “Gladiator”, with two icons representing crossed swords, before adding:
The fight will be managed by my and Zuck’s foundations (not UFC).
Livestream will be on this platform and Meta. 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 that “everything done will pay respect to the past and present of Italy”, adding cryptically: “Dulce est desipere in loco” which translates as “It is delightful to play the fool occasionally.”
It was not clear whether the event would be some sort of fight between the two tech giants or another kind of encounter.
In a statement, Gennaro Sangiuliano, the culture minister, said he had had a “long and friendly conversation” with Musk in which they had discussed “our common passion for the history of ancient Rome”.
Sangiuliano said he was discussing with Musk “how to organise a big charity event” of a historical nature.
“It won’t be held in Rome,” he said, adding that it would raise “many millions of euros”, which will be donated to children’s hospitals and the fight against paediatric illnesses in Italy.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, left, and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Photos / AP
Earlier this week, Zuckerberg said he was “not holding his breath” over the proposed cage fight happening.
In a post on the new social media app Threads, he said he had proposed Aug 26 for the showdown.
Following a post on X in which Musk claimed he was training “throughout the day”, Zuckerberg wrote: “I’m ready today... but he hasn’t confirmed.”
Talk of a fight began in June when Musk posted a message on Twitter claiming he was “up for a cage fight”. Zuckerberg then posted a screenshot of that tweet with the caption “send me location”.
Musk responded with: “Vegas Octagon” and later suggested, at the end of that month, that it could take place at the Colosseum. In response, Italian officials denied they had given permission for a fight to be staged in the ancient arena.
They suggested that instead of a physical brawl, the two men should instead consider engaging in a “certamen” – an ancient contest in which contestants have to answer questions about classical history and mythology. To make the challenge more interesting, the verbal dual would be in Latin, they said.
