Michael Chugani 褚簡寧 - Cage match|又中又英

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, is the boss of Tesla, Twitter, SpaceX, and other high-tech companies. Mark Zuckerberg, who is in the top ten list of the world’s richest people, is the boss of Meta, which provides services including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Believe it or not, these two super-rich and influential men have challenged each other to a cage match. It’s being called a cage match between two billionaires. Musk threw down the gauntlet on Twitter when Meta tweeted it may set up a service to compete with Twitter.

A cage match is a fierce competition with very few rules that takes place inside a cage. Competitors use a combination of wrestling and boxing. To throw down the gauntlet means to challenge someone to a fight. A gauntlet is a type of glove. Knights in medieval times threw down a gauntlet to challenge another knight to fight. When Zuckerberg's Meta tweeted it may start a company to rival Twitter, Musk tweeted “I'm up for a cage match if he is.” Zuckerberg used Instagram to respond, saying “Send me location”. Musk responded with “Vegas Octagon”, which is an arena for fierce fights in Las Vegas.

Musk and Zuckerberg are known to argue with each other over high-tech issues. Musk has warned of the dangers of AI. Zuckerberg invited Musk to his home for dinner in 2014 and told him not to be too concerned about AI. But Musk said Facebook gave him the willies. To give you the willies means to make you feel nervous or frightened. I don't think the two billionaires will really have a cage fight.
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伊隆‧馬斯克,世界上最富有的人,是Tesla、推特、太空探索技術公司以及其他高科技公司的老闆。馬克‧朱克伯格,同樣躋身世上富翁前十位,則是Meta的老闆,所提供的服務包括臉書、WhatsApp、Instagram和Messenger。信不信由你,這兩個超級有錢和具影響力的人已挑戰對方,來一場鐵籠格鬥賽(cage match)。這堪稱為兩大億萬富翁的鐵籠格鬥(cage match)。當Meta發了一則推文,說會創立一個服務足以跟推特一較高下時,馬斯克便下了戰書(threw down the gauntlet)。

A cage match是在鐵籠中進行的激烈格鬥,並無太多規則。參賽者會結合摔角和拳擊來格鬥。To throw down the gauntlet就是發出打鬥的挑戰;a gauntlet就是防手護套。中世紀時候的騎士,會拋下其金屬手套,去挑戰另一個騎士進行武鬥。當朱克伯格的Meta發推文說,將會開創一個跟推特比併的公司時,馬斯克便發推文說:「我準備好打鐵籠戰(cage match)了。」朱克伯格則用Instagram回道:「給我地址。」馬斯克又回說「Vegas Octagon」,那是在拉斯維加斯的八角籠擂台,常進行激烈的終極格鬥賽。

馬斯克和朱克伯格二人出了名常在高科技議題上爭拗。馬斯克曾警告過人工智能的危險。朱克伯格曾於2014年邀請過馬斯克到家中晚膳,跟他說別太擔憂人工智能。但馬斯克說臉書gave him the willies—— to give you the willies是指令你緊張、不安、毛骨悚然。我就不認為這兩大億萬富翁會真的來一場籠中肉搏(cage fight)了。
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中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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