What do the 'Twags' really think of their tech bro men?

As the wife or girlfriend of a man like Musk or Zuckerberg, how do you cope when your other half insists that the world needs more masculine energy? Zoë Beaty takes a closer look

- Zoë Beaty

The lineup left little to the imagination: Donald Trump's inauguration this week was a who's who of tech bros and wellestablished provocateurs and contrarians. This was not just the initiation of the 47th president of the United States, but confirmation that the role of “broligarch” tech billionaires has officially taken centre stage at the White House.

Under the right arm of Elon Musk’s “definitely-not-a-salute”, soundtracked by Carrie Underwood’s painfully awkward rendition of “America the Beautiful”, a new era was sworn in. And its message was loud and clear: the men are in charge, and toxic masculinity is bolder than ever.

It was inevitable – Mark Zuckerberg’s assertion, in his recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, that the “culturally neutered” corporate world needs more “masculine energy” set the scene, as did Musk retweeting a post claiming that only “high-status males” can run a free-thinking “republic” – apparently no women, or “low T men”, are required.

Jeff Bezos, who has been busy with his own pumped-up transformation, got the memo, and The Washington Post refused to endorse Kamala Harris. Next to Trump’s silverback posturing, a very grim-looking boys’ club gathered at the inauguration.

So it’s interesting to consider how this is all going down at home – especially when the partners alongside these men are largely a group of very smart, very savvy women. While Zuckerberg’s cringeworthy ogling of Lauren Sanchez’s white lace bra grabbed the headlines during Trump’s big day – prompting some outlets to analyse “the meaning” of her “power cleavage” in the context of tradwife-obsessed America – the Twags (tech wives and girlfriends) have long been a point of interest.