Mark Zuckerberg Has a Funny Idea of What It Is to Be a Man

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast to lament the absence of “masculine energy” in the corporate world.

“I think a lot of the corporate world is pretty culturally neutered,” Zuckerberg said during his nearly three-hour conversation with Rogan, adding, “Masculine energy is good, and obviously, society has plenty of that, but I think corporate culture was really trying to get away from it.” Zuckerberg continued, “I think having a culture that celebrates the aggression a bit more has its own merits that are really positive.”

It’s unclear what, exactly, Zuckerberg meant by this. Men dominate most high-paying and high-status fields. A large majority of high-level corporate executives, from vice presidents and senior vice presidents to C.E.O.s and C.F.O.s, are men. In the world of Silicon Valley — that is to say, Zuckerberg’s world — women remain a minority. About 25 percent of tech jobs are held by women, and according to a 2021 report, a scant 4.7 percent of companies in the Silicon Valley 150 have a woman as chief executive, compared with the roughly 6 percent of companies in the S&P 500 that can say the same.

If, even as a small share of the work force and corporate leadership, this is so many women that it demands a return to more “masculine energy,” it would be interesting what Zuckerberg thinks is the optimal level of female employment in his industry.

But the Meta C.E.O.’s complaints of emasculation aside, I was struck — watching his interview with Rogan — by Zuckerberg’s presentation. He has grown his hair and appears to have put on a little muscle. He wore an oversize T-shirt and a gold chain. He is nearly a year past 40, but he dresses like a bro. Imagine a 22-year-old at an S.E.C. tailgate.

And consider the venue: Rogan’s podcast, where long and meandering conversations are punctuated by moments of transgression and where manhood is often held to be the celebration of that transgression.