A resurgence of combative, masculine leadership among high-profile male CEOs is drawing criticism from female executives and equity advocates, according to Business Insider. The shift has prompted many women to leave traditional workplaces in favor of entrepreneurship and more inclusive company cultures.
Alpha-Male CEOs Take the Stage
The CEOs of major firms—including Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)—have embraced a more aggressive leadership style in recent months.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told podcaster Joe Rogan that corporate culture had become neutered, advocating for a return to ‘masculine energy.' On X, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, said he gave the paper's opinion editor a clear choice: if the answer to leading a new editorial direction focused on free markets and personal liberties wasn't a "hell yes," then it had to be "no." The editor later resigned.
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At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Tesla CEO Elon Musk brought a chainsaw onstage to symbolize his commitment to shrinking the federal workforce under a potential Trump administration. Musk also challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to a physical duel in a post on X.
A Reassertion of Old Power
Female founders, alongside psychologists and sociologists, view this resurgence of aggressive leadership—along with rollbacks in diverse, equitable, and inclusive programs, mandates for returning to offices, and intensified layoff pressures—as a counteraction. "The backlash is a sign that we're making serious progress," Maureen Clough, host of the "It Gets Late Early" podcast, told Business Insider. "Now we know who these people are, the masks and the gloves are off."
University of Washington psychology professor Sapna Cheryan described it as an effort to reclaim corporate spaces. "It's less about money and more about having the playground they've always had," she told Insider.
Meanwhile, aggressive rhetoric from CEOs appears to influence company culture, according to Business Insider. After Musk used a slur in an X post, a study from Montclair State University found a 207.5% surge in posts using the term — over 312,000 in total — along with a rise in related online searches.
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Corporate Gains and Entrepreneurial Shifts
Women now account for 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs, according to the 2024 Women CEOs in America report by the Women Business Collaborative. And while that marks progress, representation remains uneven, particularly in the tech sector, where women held just 27% of roles in the U.S. in 2023, according to data from Nash Squared.
Still, women are making strides on their own terms. A Wells Fargo report released last year found that women now own nearly 39% of U.S. businesses, driven by a 17.1% increase in women-led firms between 2019 and 2024.
Facing rigid corporate norms and rising machismo, many women are choosing to build companies that align with their values. "Oftentimes the easiest way to find [flexibility] is to build it yourself," Fabrik CEO Jaclyn Pascocello to Business Insider. In today's climate, she said, she sees more women launching ventures that address gaps often ignored by male-led firms, such as caregiving and women's health. "It really feels like there’s a ton of women trying to lift each other up."
Founders, Funding, and Frustration
Despite this momentum, persistent barriers remain, especially in venture funding. According to a Harvard Kennedy School report, women make up just 11% of investing partners at U.S. VC firms. Only 13% of VC dollars go to startups with at least one female founder, while all-female founding teams receive just 2.4% of funding, a number virtually unchanged over 30 years. Nearly three-quarters of VC firms have no female investing partner at all.
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Those challenges, alongside toxic workplace norms, are pushing more women to leave traditional corporate paths altogether. "Even if you have more women, they'll still assimilate to the workplace culture you have," StitchCrew and VEST CEO Erika Lucas told Business Insider. "Women are being conditioned to fit into this meritocracy, or fit within these toxic systems because that’s all we have."
Opting Out — and Rebuilding Better
Business leaders and equity advocates are responding with new strategies. DEI strategist Virginia Cumberbatch told Business Insider that diversity efforts have been misrepresented and diluted by political narratives. "We've allowed DEI to be a catchall that's kind of lost its meaning," she said, adding that equity must look different across industries and be woven into every dimension of an organization. "Otherwise, it is just rhetoric."
Some women are taking direct action. Founder of parenting platform Leva, Vanessa Jupe, began organizing canvassing efforts and economic blackouts to call out systemic inequities. "The time to play nice is not now," she said.
The girlboss era may be over—but women leaders are no longer waiting for permission. "Nobody should be made into a hero," Lucas told Business Insider. "My hope is that we start building power collectively."
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