Are our offices too female? That's a billionaire's incendiary new claim. But when BRENDAN O'NEILL dives into the details, his conclusion may shock you
What a makeover Mark Zuckerberg has had. Just a few years ago the Meta boss was the world's best-known nerd.Despite being one of the richest men on the planet, with his bowl-cut hairstyle and ill-fitting suits, Zuckerberg resembled the school dork who could never get a date.Not any more. Now he sports an unruly moptop, baggy black T-shirts and gold chain. He hones his physique with mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.He's even taken to hunting feral pigs in Hawaii ('mostly with a bow and arrow') and was recently spotted pursuing his curly-tailed quarry dressed in full camouflage and wearing gold-tinted sunglasses.To top it off, he is now singing the praises of masculinity in the workplace. In a three-hour chat with podcast king Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg said big business needs more male energy.The corporate world ought to be a 'welcoming environment' for both sexes, but that doesn't mean we have to say: 'Masculinity is bad.''I think having a culture that celebrates aggression a bit more has its own merits that are really positive', he said.You know what? He's right. Hunger Games here I come! Mark Zuckerberg in full camo on Wednesday as he embarked on a dangerous hike in Hawaii with a bow and arrows with to hunt wild boarZuck – as he's known – might make an improbable warrior for male virility, but his critique of modern capitalism is spot on.We really are witnessing the 'feminisation' of the workplace. And all the good aspects of masculinity – risk-taking, courage, confidence, drive – have been unceremoniously dumped.Zuckerberg's rebirth as a 'man's man' coincides with his overhaul of Meta, the tech conglomerate of which he is CEO and which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.In an effort to reposition the world's 7th-biggest company for a Trump presidency, Zuck kicked off 2025 by promising to make Meta's platforms less 'woke'. He announced he will give Facebook's fact-checkers the heave-ho, because they have 'just been too politically biased'.Facebook had been too censorious, he said, on issues such as 'immigration and gender'.Alongside restoring free speech to Facebook, he looks set to restore masculinity at Meta HQ.His defence of masculine virtues, even of aggression, provoked a backlash as simplistic as it was predictable.'In a world where violence against women and girls is rife,' wailed a commentator at the Independent, 'why not add more toxic masculinity to the mix?' Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg shows off his physique after a training session with UFC mixed martial arts starsThis cheap shot sums up the whole problem with the modern view of masculinity. We're encouraged to think of male energy as inherently sexist and volatile, a form of bestial violence that must be tamed.Consider that most sneering of phrases, 'toxic masculinity'. Everywhere you look, feminists, business leaders, politicians and even schoolteachers are noisily bemoaning the 'toxicity' of manliness.You'd think being a bloke was some kind of disease, an ailment to be cured rather than a bundle of virtues to be celebrated.The corporate world is overrun with this male-bashing ideology. On both sides of the Atlantic, big business has become obsessed with extinguishing 'toxic masculinity'.The Harvard Business Review – the bible of the corporate world – says 'toxic masculinity' is a pox on business. 'Masculinity contests' in the workplace lead only to 'stress, burnout and turnover', it says.'Is toxic masculinity killing your corporate culture?', asks CoachHub, a business devoted to 'talent development'. 'Masculinity contest culture', it warns, gives rise to 'an environment of competition, disrespect and greed'.Competition in the business world? Perish the thought!Business journals bulge with pained commentary on the scourge of 'toxic masculinity'. Some recent headlines include: 'Rethinking masculinity in the workplace', 'Toxic masculinity in the workplace' and 'Is toxic masculinity destroying your workplace culture?'It should come as no surprise that some firms are inviting 'experts' to enlighten their staff on the dangers of manliness.An annual event called 'Masculinity in the Workplace' brings together business leaders to tell them how crazy and destabilising masculinity can be.James O'Brien, the leftist irritant of LBC radio, spoke at the 2022 gathering. He said 'toxic masculinity' is learned behavior – no man is 'born poisoned'.And there you have it: masculinity is a poison. And the antidote, it seems, is a hectoring lecture from the likes of O'Brien.To see how feminised the business world has become, just pop into any workplace in Central London – or 'work hub', as they're called now.You will see hordes of men wearing pronoun badges drinking craft coffee and playing ping-pong. Gone are the ball-busting businessmen of the 1980s with their red braces and cries of 'Buy, buy, buy!'. In their place is a new generation of sad lads who think fragility is way cooler than virility.The turn against masculinity in the business world intensified during the MeToo crisis.That feminist fightback uncovered many real instances of male misbehaviour and outright harassment in the workplace. It goes without saying that any bloke who mistreats his female colleagues deserves a firm reprimand, and any illegal behaviour should be tackled with the full force of the law. In a three-hour chat with podcast king Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg said big business needs more male energy But MeToo also made good men feel unsure of themselves. Could they still ask a female colleague on a date? What about risque jokes – off-limits? How about workplace banter?Indeed, banter has become collateral damage in the war on masculinity. It is the 'enemy of inclusion', according to an article published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.Even the Army has come under fire for its manly culture. This led the then Chief of the Defence Staff, Nick Carter, to defend 'laddish culture'. 'Part of the reason we encourage a laddish culture', he said, is because 'ultimately our soldiers have to go close and personal with the enemy'.You know the world has gone fully nuts when even the young men who give their all to defend the nation are looked up as a little too laddish.When it comes to protecting Britain, give me a brawny bloke who tells un-PC jokes over any of those post-lad snowflakes who will melt into a puddle of tears if a sergeant major so much as raises his voice.The turn against masculinity has hit our schools, too. Last year the Family Education Trust found that a third of England's secondary schools teach kids about 'toxic masculinity'.Boys are essentially being told at an impressionable age that it's 'problematic' to be a bloke. What a dispiriting message. And a dangerous one, too.The more we tell boys that masculinity is a risky, even poisonous thing, the more likely they are to go looking for public figures who take a more 'pro-masculinity' view.They end up following truly nefarious individuals such as Andrew Tate, the social-media personality whose idea of manliness is getting rich, being greedy and mistreating women.That's the dark irony of the cultural crusade against masculinity – it could end up driving more young men into a virtual underworld that really is sexist and stupid.The truth is that we need masculinity. It is a good thing. Being confident, strong, daring, valiant, even having a dash of arrogance – these are virtues that make the world go round.Look at LA right now. Brave, hulking men are fighting day and night to put out one of the the worst wildfires we have ever seen.It brings to mind something that the great contrarian feminist Camille Paglia said way back in 1995: 'All it will take is one natural disaster… then, the only thing holding this culture together will be masculine men of the working class.'We need bold men more than ever. To crank up the profits, create more wealth, turn boys into gentlemen, and defend our societies from crime, terror and the whims of Mother Nature. Everyone loses if masculinity dies.
