Should we celebrate aggression in companies?
“Having a culture that celebrates the aggression a bit more has its own merits that are really positive.”
So says Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg who wants more ‘masculine energy’ in the corporate world, feeling that injecting more testosterone into the workplace will boost performance.
Ironically, for a CEO dropping his third party fact checkers, perhaps he could do with someone to check this out for him.
It would be fair to say to say that we at mentl do not subscribe to his view that more masculinity and less diversity, equity and inclusion is the long-term path to success, but that’s only because we’re across multiple studies dating back decades which show the complete opposite, and have struggled to find a single credible study that backs up what the Meta CEO has to say.
That said, in the interest of fairness, we turned to technology to ask what its algorithms could find to back up the tech titan’s claim.
We asked ChatGPT: “Is there any evidence to support Mark Zuckerberg’s claim that aggression is good for a business?”
Here’s what AI concluded.
Mark Zuckerberg’s claim that aggression in workplace culture has “positive merits” for business success is highly debatable.
While there is some evidence that competitive and high-pressure environments can drive short-term performance and innovation, research overwhelmingly suggests that collaborative, psychologically safe workplaces lead to better long-term outcomes.
1. The Case for Aggressive Cultures in Business
Some of the world’s most successful companies—such as Amazon, Uber (under Travis Kalanick), and even early Facebook—have been known for fostering high-pressure, aggressive environments. Proponents of such cultures argue that they:
- Encourage high performance and resilience: Employees in aggressive cultures may develop a thick skin and work harder due to the fear of being outperformed or replaced.
- Foster intense competition: A “winner-takes-all” mentality can push employees to outperform each other, potentially leading to breakthroughs in technology and innovation.
- Drive rapid execution: Aggressive cultures tend to emphasize speed over consensus, which can be beneficial in fast-moving industries like tech.
For example, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon has been described as a brutally competitive workplace, yet it has thrived, constantly innovating and expanding. Elon Musk’s companies (Tesla, SpaceX) are also known for their “hardcore” work culture, demanding extreme levels of commitment from employees.
Short-Term Benefits of Aggressive Cultures
- Increased efficiency and quick decision-making.
- High accountability, as employees are expected to deliver results.
- Attracts highly driven, ambitious talent.
2. The Downside of Aggressive Workplace Cultures
While aggressive cultures can work in some contexts, research suggests they often come at a cost:
Negative Effects on Employee Well-Being
Studies have shown that aggressive workplace cultures increase stress, burnout, and turnover:
- A study from Harvard Business Review found that high-pressure work environments increase disengagement by 60%.
- Research from the American Psychological Association (APA) links aggressive workplace cultures to higher levels of anxiety, depression, and workplace hostility.
- Companies with toxic cultures saw attrition rates 10 times higher than those with positive cultures (MIT Sloan study).
Impact on Innovation and Collaboration
- Google’s Project Aristotle, a multi-year study on team effectiveness, found that psychological safety (not aggression) was the biggest predictor of high-performing teams.
- McKinsey & Company research shows that collaborative, diverse workplaces outperform aggressive, cutthroat environments in innovation.
- The most resilient companies tend to have cultures of trust and inclusivity, rather than aggression.
3. The Most Successful Companies Foster a Balance
Many of today’s most admired companies (Microsoft, Salesforce, Patagonia) have moved away from aggressive cultures and toward purpose-driven, inclusive workplaces:
- Satya Nadella at Microsoft transformed the company by shifting from a cutthroat, competitive environment to a learning-focused, empathetic culture. Microsoft’s stock price tripled under his leadership.
- Salesforce promotes “Ohana” (family culture) and ranks among the best places to work, yet remains one of the most valuable tech companies.
- Airbnb survived the pandemic in part due to its strong culture of trust and transparency, leading to a rapid recovery and an IPO.
Conclusion: Does Aggression Help Businesses?
Zuckerberg’s statement may hold some truth in the short term, particularly in high-performance, high-stakes environments like tech startups or finance, but long-term evidence strongly favours psychologically safe, collaborative cultures.
A cutthroat, aggressive culture may drive results quickly, but it often leads to burnout, poor retention, and reputational damage. The most sustainable, innovative businesses today focus on balancing competition with empathy, inclusivity, and psychological safety.
So while aggression might have its merits in specific contexts, there is little strong evidence that it leads to better overall business outcomes compared to cultures built on trust, collaboration, and respect.
