In a recent podcast appearance on This Past Weekend with comedian Theo Von, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped a line that’s been making waves across tech and pop culture spheres alike: “I wake up and fight people.” While the comment drew laughs, Zuckerberg was actually a bit serious; he clarified that he begins his day with two hours of jiu jitsu before heading into the office.

When asked if he drinks coffee, Zuckerberg replied, “I don’t like any kind of chemicals or anything like that.” This austere morning routine - up at 7 a.m., two hours of martial arts, then work - reflects the intensely focused, almost ascetic lifestyle of one of Silicon Valley’s most influential and controversial figures. Rather than opting for more traditional avenues of coping —  like coffee, energy drinks, or nicotine — Zuckerberg’s vice of choice is actually jiu jitsu. 

Colosseum Fight & History

Mark Zuckerberg has long been more than just the co-founder of Facebook. The long-time CEO of Meta Platforms Inc. (META), he’s emerged as a tech mogul with deep investments in virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and infrastructure projects aimed at redefining how humans interact with technology. His adoption of combat sports, particularly jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA), apparently acts as a great stress reliever and allows him to stay grounded in a time of otherwise immense stress. During the release of Meta’s Threads, a direct competitor to Elon Musk’s X, the two tech moguls even attempted to arrange a fight in Rome’s Colosseum. 

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The fight ultimately never happened, but Zuckerberg has competed in jiu jitsu tournaments and even trained with some of the sport’s top fighters. There are no reports of Musk ever having any type of fighting experience, implying the fight would have likely been relatively one-sided.  

Meta’s Recent Moves

Zuckerberg’s MMA ventures come at a time when the Meta CEO is attempting a broader rebrand of both himself and Meta itself. After launching as Facebook, the company now known as Meta wants to be known for its ventures into the metaverse, AI, and other technology, not just social media. Zuckerberg, previously known for his awkwardness, borderline inhuman personality, and data breaches committed by Facebook, is also looking to clean up his image. It doesn’t seem to be working, with Pew Research reporting in February that only 2% of Americans see him “very favorably” and 23% see him as “mostly favorable,” compared to 26% who regard Zuckerberg very unfavorably and 41% who see him as mostly unfavorable. 

Regardless, the stress-coping mechanism seems to be working, with Meta emerging as the current leader in a number of competitive technology sectors. The company recently launched its latest AI model, LLaMA 4, positioned as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s GPT-4. It’s also aggressively investing in the metaverse through its Reality Labs division, though losses from that segment continue to be steep.

Despite those setbacks, Zuckerberg remains committed. His long-term vision of a fully immersive internet experience — where physical and digital realities blend seamlessly — has defined Meta’s trajectory in the post-Facebook era.

Meta stock has reflected investor optimism recently. After a challenging 2022, shares have seen a robust recovery, driven by strong ad revenue, improved margins, and efficient restructuring under Zuckerberg’s renewed focus on efficiency. The market has rewarded Meta’s renewed focus on core business fundamentals, even as it bets big on future technologies.