Elon Musk screamed a profanity-laden jibe about Mark Zuckerberg when he signed the Twitter deal, author says

• Elon Musk shouted a profanity-laden jibe when he signed the Twitter takeover deal, per a new book.
• Musk took aim at rival social media boss Mark Zuckerberg, Ben Mezrich wrote.

Elon Musk shouted a profanity-laden jibe when he signed the Twitter deal, according to the author of the new book titled "Breaking Twitter: Elon Musk and the Most Controversial Corporate Takeover in History."

Ben Mezrich's book documents Musk's chaotic Twitter takeover and cites "unique access to Twitter employees and Musk's confidants."

Appearing on the podcast On With Kara Swisher, Mezrich said: "In the book, there's a scene when Musk signs the papers to take over Twitter, the first thing he screams out is, 'Fuck Zuck! Fuck Zuck!' — which I haven't seen reported anywhere else."

Mezrich was discussing the billionaire's rivalry with the Meta CEO that famously flared this year when the two proposed a cage match.

The author, who also wrote "The Accidental Billionaires," said Musk "definitely sees" Zuckerberg as a rival but was a much more "dictatorial control person than Mark."

Musk and Zuckerberg have also butted heads outside the ring since Musk's Twitter acquisition.

The Meta CEO launched the social media platform Threads in July to directly compete with X, formerly Twitter. Threads amassed users quickly and was seen as one of the more viable alternatives to X.

Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Mezrich's book, published this week, documents the emotional toll running Twitter had on Musk. He claims the takeover and subsequent backlash had a serious impact on the billionaire's health and reputation.

Mezrich cited several incidents that led to an emotional "spiral" for the Tesla CEO, including getting booed at a Dave Chappelle comedy show and a car carrying his son being targeted.