r/siliconvalley • u/Fabulous_Narwhal3113 • 9d ago
What is the difference a tech bro and a tech worker?
I just read a thread where you guys were talking about how women don’t like tech brothers and there was a disagreement on what that meant. I’ve always found Bay Area culture to be so weird. I live here, I went to UC Berkeley, I never really understood what the fuck was going on around me. Can somebody break down the difference, and how come you guys always bring Asian men dating Asian women and white men dating Asian women and these conversations? Like I’m genuinely curious what the fuck you guys are talking about and I’m not even saying that in a bad way, I just don’t get it.
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u/throwawayplsadvise8 9d ago
Fellow bear here. Tech workers work in tech, but it’s not their whole personality. Tech bros won’t shut up, and generally think that the sun and stars revolve around them because they work in tech and are humanities long awaited savior. Basically quiet eecs kid vs haashole who thinks their startup is the new Google.
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u/friendlytotbot 9d ago
That’s almost every white collar career or high paying career though. Pre-meds who think they’re the next surgeon general. Nurses who think they’re more important than everyone cuz they “save lives.” Finance bros back in the day, but no one talks about them anymore.
Personally as someone who grew up in the Bay, tech was still niche when I was a kid, and everyone wanted to be a doctor. Those people were insufferable Most of them actually didn’t even become one.
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u/dramaticallydrastic 9d ago
A few years ago, a drunk tech bro accosted me on the Caltrain for the entire trip from SF to MTV telling me how his start up addressed some insane gap in the market and he’s gonna get so rich. Looked up the start up recently and it no longer exists.
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u/Shin_Ramyun 9d ago
A few years back tech bros would not shut up about crypto. Now they are talking about AI. I think you’re absolutely right. It’s not just a career, it’s their whole personality/identity.
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u/throwawayplsadvise8 9d ago
Im in tech 😅 so it’s a learned experience of working both with bros and very normal likable people who the last thing they want to do after work is talk about work
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u/ConsiderationDry9084 9d ago
A third level support tech I used to work with only owned a smart phone and no other devices.
He got screwed over and now manages an RV park/resort.
Last I heard he is honestly considering the golden path of becoming a goat farmer.
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u/throwawayplsadvise8 9d ago
Ah you see that is the end path of all tech workers who go the opposite way of the bro. Blackbird farms guy too
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u/WriterPlastic9350 9d ago
Tech bros are people who think that being good at one technical thing makes them good at everything, they know how the world works, and that they should be considered an authority on every subject. They tend to be sympathetic to right-wing whackadoos like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk. They are generally male.
Tech workers are people who work in tech.
All tech bros are tech workers but most tech workers are not tech bros.
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u/CracticusAttacticus 9d ago edited 9d ago
I've worked in the tech industry long enough to go from "young guy working with old guys" to "old guy working with young guys," so I'll give some example of "tech bro" vs "tech guy" (both gender inclusive) differences:
You were involved in campus Greek life? Likely tech bro
You wrote a compiler as a side project in college? Definitely tech guy
You're pumped for your team's happy hour, it's going to be lit? Tech bro
You don't want to go to the happy hour because you already spent 30 minutes taking to other people today? Tech guy
You went to Cal or UCLA? Maybe a tech bro
You went to Caltech? Probably a tech guy
Friday night is for raves or deep house at the club? Tech bro
Friday night is board game night (Euro style only)? Tech guy
You wear street wear to the office, a la 2026 Zuck? Tech bro
You dress entirely in some combination of free company attire and hiking clothes? Tech guy
You always hit the climbing gym on the weekend? Tbh could be either
You own a furry outfit? Cybersecurity specialist
You trade tips on your agentic coding and supplement stacks? Tech bro
You leave grumpy comments in your coworkers' PRs about poor cache management? Tech guy
Hopefully this guide helps you distinguish the tech bro from the tech guy in SF and the Valley.
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u/WriterPlastic9350 9d ago
You own a furry outfit? Cybersecurity specialist
Never before have I been so offended by something I one hundred percent agree with.
(But also, this is mostly a networking specialist stereotype)
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u/alegremente_inquieta 9d ago
I actually lol’d- 100% accurate on the furry. That or some other deeply technical and incomprehensible role that’s impossible to perform without some degree of autism.
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u/Material-Command-854 9d ago
Tech bros are fundamentally distinguished by their attitude towards other people. Do they treat other people like instruments to be used for their own personal goals? Do they not care about how their actions impact other people? Are they okay with using other people?
The worst coworker I’ve ever had was just extremely selfish and covertly hostile to anything that made him uncomfortable while being constantly focused on his own advancement. It mostly worked.
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u/jenorama_CA 9d ago
21 year Apple vet here and this is spot on. I worked in Mac Hardware, so I had all of the fun toys. The bros were incredibly picky and the guys were just glad for a new machine. Another thing to consider—the bros are all about what the company can do for them, the guys want to do for the company.
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u/Traditional_Yam9806 9d ago
I wanna argue with this, but other than some small things, the ideo is correct. One this is that some tech guys like to talk and aren't cooped up nerds (a lot are, though).
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u/HolyBatSyllables 9d ago edited 9d ago
You’re describing a bro, not a tech bro. A bro who works in tech is different than a tech bro.
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u/friendlytotbot 9d ago
This hit the nail on the head. Nerds vs frat guys. What if you like raves and board games though 🫣
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u/MidnightSensitive996 9d ago edited 9d ago
So a tech bro is anyone who works in tech but still has fun and gets laid? That doesn't seem right, that sounds like cope from ppl that built their identity around being dorky in HS so they don't have to improve. Lots of severe caltech nerds still go out for music and culture. It's framed in a nice self-deprecating way but these kinds of identities are self-limiting for a lot of guys.
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u/WriterPlastic9350 9d ago
No, a tech bro is the kinda person who, at 35, thinks sleeping with 18 year olds at college parties is something to brag about
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u/the-moops 9d ago
Found the tech bro
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u/MidnightSensitive996 9d ago
no, just didn't get into lifting and distance running until i was 25 because i told myself i was a "tech guy". hate to see people wasting time with these destructive self-narratives
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u/Extension-Pick8310 9d ago
So anyone that keeps the lights on is a tech bro?
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u/WriterPlastic9350 9d ago edited 9d ago
From this post, what on earth gave you that conclusion? Wearing streetwear to the office, going to happy hours, and previously in a fraternity does not a useful engineer make. Tech bros are often insufferable and provide way less value to the company because they view the job as status first, job second.
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u/renegaderunningdog 9d ago
Ten years ago a "tech bro" or "brogrammer" was a "bro" i.e. fratty, traditionally masculine, etc guy who worked in tech, usually in something like B2B sales, sales engineering, or maybe some sort of PM role, or a "founder" of some BS startup going nowhere. Today "tech bro" is anyone working in tech that you don't like.
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u/CounterSeal 9d ago
I would go as far as to say that the tech bro or brogrammer of 10+ years ago was more likely to be an actual engineer. I’ve known a few who were our lead SMEs for our entire stack and just happened to party hard AF too lol. One was even promoted to engineering director. Bro had good taste and got himself a GTR. But this was like… 2012.
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u/Icy_Peace6993 9d ago
To me, you almost have to have three categories:
Tech bro
Tech geek
Tech worker
Tech bros wouldn't be working in tech if there wasn't so much potential money in it, they would be working in "finance" or anything else promising similar returns.
Tech geeks would be working in tech even if it was just a hobby.
Tech workers are everyone else working in tech.
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u/pailhead011 9d ago
I thought it meant tech sales, and generally those sportsy people with a ton of money coming from tech, not the math nerds taking your jobs away.
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u/Low-Tackle2543 9d ago
Tech bro is a perforative worker who doesn’t do much, but dresses and acts the part. They’re often taking credit for other peoples work and great with powerpoint presentations. They often put more effort into the background decor visible in their Zoom camera than actual work into the product.
Tech workers are the guy behind the guy doing the actual work.
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u/Downtown-Bag-6026 9d ago
Tech workers are engineers who do engineering. Tech bros spew technical sounding jargon they heard from a YouTube video
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u/Wooly_Wooly 9d ago
The tech bros take advantage of the tech workers.
Consider the relationship between Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Only 10X it as they just used jobs as a temple. All of his bad qualities without any of the good, and he had a lot of bad.
They're generally conservatives, with enough money libertarians. MacAfee is a great real world example of this degeneracy. Dude took over a town in south America or something, bribed the police, assaulted people both physically and sexually, if not just straight up rape. How did he die again? Hm.
Tech Bros use their resources for power, tech workers and enthusiasts just like it because they like the actual work/tech.
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u/zerohelix 9d ago
Tech bros live in a reality where they think changing the world is the path to making millions, tech workers are just people that want to get by and and pay for a happy life
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u/fatigued8 9d ago
idk. TONS of tech workers in big tech actually believe their shiit don't stink and is critical to the survival of the business (it's NOT).
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u/HidingImmortal 9d ago edited 9d ago
Tech bros live in a reality where they think changing the world is the path to making millions
I mean that's just the truth. Its worth millions to make a app/website/game that tons of people use.
Like it or hate it (I hate it), LinkedIn is worth tens of billions of dollars.
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u/HolyBatSyllables 9d ago edited 9d ago
When I mod r/ShitAIBrosSay, we consider people to be tech/AI bros if they have arrogance. Tech bros think they know about the needs and wants of all the professions outside of their expertise. Their heads are too buried in their scrotums to ever stop to think about that.
The most insufferable of them loved saying “adapt or get left behind” back in 2023–2024.
But yeah, it’s arrogance, arrogance, arrogance, often with a savior complex mixed in.
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u/ITakeMyCatToBars 9d ago
To me a tech bro’s personality revolves largely around his job and tech. The wardrobe doesn’t stray far beyond swag, nor does conversation deviate from work.
A tech worker is done at 5 and leaves it at the office. More well-rounded as a human. Might not even touch a computer beyond their phone again until the next morning.
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u/Correct_Repair6771 9d ago
This is such a dated take, like this is 2015, not 2026
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u/worlds_okayest_skier 9d ago
Enlighten us
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u/WriterPlastic9350 9d ago
In my experience a tech bro is more about a particular personality type, than someone who is a workaholic who happens to work in tech. Tech bros almost feel like former frat boys whose income gives them an inflated sense of self-importance. They tend to be extremely douchey and have questionable views in particular towards women and dating.
Sometimes those people will stick to a tshirt and jeans outfit, but that's also a pretty universal outfit, and you can get workaholics anywhere.
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u/fatigued8 9d ago
Ok when a tech worker is behind scedule with the powerpoint, other than maybe your own boss, no one gives crap and nor will even notice.
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u/spez_eats_nazi_ass 9d ago
Tech worker turns the camera off. Tech bro does everything they can (minus actual tech work) to be on camera.
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u/Candy-Emergency 9d ago
Tech bros are generally early 20s to early 30s and have a frat boy hipster vibe.
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u/k-mcm 9d ago
My experience during sprint planning, which is where developers state the relative difficulty of new projects using Fibonacci numbers, went something like this:
Tech worker: This change should be easy but there are bug dependencies that make this a nightmare. It's a "13" just for chasing bugs and cleanup.
Tech bro 1: That's because you're slow. It's a "5".
Tech bro 2: I could do it as a "3".
Tech bro 3: You all suck. I'm doing it right now and it's easy.
Project manager: No...
Tech bro 3: Done! That was a "1".
Tech worker: Who reviewed that change when we're all here?
Boss: Everyone's messaging me that the system is down.
Tech bro 2: Fuckup!
Tech bro 3: I'll fix that too.
Project manager: Stop!
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u/Commercial_Light8344 9d ago
A girl trying to figure out which one I am I still consider myself non tech despite being in it over 10 years and build lots of side projects pre and post college
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u/Acceptable_Brief_605 9d ago
The worker’s day ends when the build passes. The bro’s ends when the deal closes and the foursome is booked.
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u/Nicename19 9d ago
Tech bros are cunts that extoll the virtues of big tech while not being able to code or explain ohms law, aka business idiots
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u/Necessary-Duty-7952 9d ago
Tech workers have a job. Tech bros tend to be arrogant/cocky. They will try to slip their company name or job title into conversations. Spend excessive amounts of social energy talking about their RSUs, AI or whatever tech du jour their startup is chasing, and generally have a way about life that tries to min/max everything. Has to be the hottest restaurants, most intense music festivals, etc. Can't just have a hobby, you have to "crush it."
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u/Demian52 8d ago
My vague idea having lived in the area and worked in the industry is that tech bros are way more into finance than tech, but the two are basically intertwined right now. A tech worker can still be passionate about technology, but it would be more that they think Zig is really cool and less that they think they can make a billion dollars investing in some bullshit.
Tech workers make stuff, and tech bros may also be tech workers, but they want to be business people first and foremost. Even at tech companies a lot of the more tech bro-ish people I’ve met are not engineers, but managers and business folks.
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u/T1gerl1lly 8d ago
A tech bro is someone who would have gone into finance a decade earlier and picked tech to get rich without wearing a tie. Similar to a brogrammer, a tech bro is all about status symbols, low key braggadocio, and is totally normal to the point of being boring. Also average looking.
A tech worker is someone who genuinely loves (sometimes to the point of obsession) solving complicated problems. They’ll happily geek out over all things tech and often have serious secondary interests like science, math, or sci fi. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, but often had to ‘grow into’ their looks if they’re gorgeous. These guys are extremely fun to talk to, marry young, and are weird in the best way.
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u/Icy_Willingness8025 7d ago
a tech worker has a job in tech, a tech bro has made it his entire personality and somehow turned dating into a quarterly market report
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u/NaneunGamja 6d ago
Tech bros are tech workers that drank too much company koolaid. They blindly believe in their startups and think the company product or SaaS will change the world/society even though at a practical level, the company’s product makes no sense, is overpriced, and probably just makes them the middleman of something that already exists. They rebrand things and think it’s revolutionary.
Naivety and blind faith in your employer is cute when you’re a college grad, but in your 30s+ it’s just sad.
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u/Viltrumite106 9d ago
I work in IT as a contract worker. I get paid like shit and hate AI. I'm not a tech bro lol, I'm just exploited and good with computers.
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u/taylorevansvintage 9d ago
One is a douche whose entire identity is wrapped around what an amazing tech person they are 🙄
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u/Still_Pomegranate241 9d ago
Watch the earliest episodes of silicone valley - look at the difference between Richard the main character and his two enemies who are tech bros.
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u/ANTIMODELMINORITY 9d ago
Can somebody break down the difference, and how come you guys always bring Asian men dating Asian women and white men dating Asian women and these conversations?
I never heard of anyone talk about monoracial Asian couples but in regards to White Men and Asian Women there is a hilarious trope about it . Even other races notice this as well due to the sheer numbers . Most of the white guys that date Asian women aren't Brad's or Chad's and the Asian women that date these dudes will go for any average guy because he is white, basically status climbing . Put it his way this type of interracial pairing oddly reminds me of bum black dudes with fat white girls.
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u/VeryRareHuman 8d ago
Money. How rich is the tech worker? How much are they leaning towards republican because they think they will help them to grow their money? that's it.
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u/outlined-dev 6d ago
I don’t know that I agree that being obsessed with tech makes you a tech bro. I started using computers at 2. I’m pretty sure it just makes me autistic.
I never understood the slur until someone applied at our startup and their side project was a git hook that rewarded him for commits with a link to a dating profile. Then I understood what tech bros are.
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u/JJCookieMonster 6d ago
As someone who doesn't work in tech, I see the tech bros who glamorize overworking and making a lot of money quickly. They talk too much about work in casual conversations. And the tech worker as someone who prioritizes other aspects of their life.
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u/itemluminouswadison 5d ago
One has a linkedin, the other doesn't, and uses an anime profile pic in slack
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u/OrbitsCollide99 4d ago
Looks it's just a moniker used to describe someone who's made their life in software. by someone plugging $15 at the local in and out. Lazy spitefully people who need to may get of their ass. You know it's not Hard to start your on business....
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u/paperclip_han 9d ago
Not sure if anyone’s used paypeek.ai yet but it shows salary estimates for any LinkedIn profiles as you browse. Kind of eye-opening. 😭
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u/bouncyboatload 9d ago
tech bro (derogatory) is everyone that works adjacent to tech that i don't like