In yet another chapter of Silicon Valley’s long-running series “Tech Titans Behaving Strangely,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg emerged from the shimmering fog of virtual reality long enough to engage in a little throwdown known as the Murph Challenge. For the uninitiated, the Murph Challenge involves a mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and another mile run. Ostensibly, the name pays tribute to fallen Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy. Less officially, it’s a great opportunity for tech billionaires to get sweaty in front of their Instagram followers while reminding the world that, yes, they do have cardiovascular systems.
On Memorial Day, Zuckerberg reportedly took 39 minutes and 58 seconds to complete the self-inflicted misery, wearing a 20-pound vest and presumably fueled by a heady mix of protein shakes and Silicon Valley-style determination. Zuckerberg claimed proudly that he beat his time from last year, which was a languid 40 minutes and 47 seconds, suggesting that one of the world’s wealthiest men is indeed getting better at voluntarily suffering in Lycra.
The post on Instagram did not include the classic Zuck uniform of grey T-shirt and unflinching eye contact with the void, but did show off evidence of an upper body and stamina, two things computers have not yet replaced and which Zuckerberg appears unwilling to outsource just yet.
This year, he also brought some friends along, saying he did the workout “with some friends, including 3 of my sisters,” which either makes it a touching family activity or an especially elaborate way to bond over muscle soreness and existential dread.
Not to be left out, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Krasinski also took on the challenge, possibly in preparation for roles that involve both emotion and triceps. There’s nothing quite like Hollywood joining in to make sweaty suffering look Oscar-worthy.
While some may scoff at the spectacle of billionaires posting workout selfies, others will argue that it is a refreshing pivot from the usual news of tech layoffs, AI warnings and metaverse confusion. And in fairness, if you are going to aggressively redefine social norms and the architecture of the internet, being able to do a hundred pull-ups certainly cannot hurt.
Because nothing says “remember the fallen” like a CEO doing squats in a weighted vest next to his siblings and posting about it on social media.