How Andrew Tate Made Millions Teaching Men What Women Want—But Got it All Wrong

Andrew Tate, who was a former kickboxing champion, became a controversial media figure in recent years. He made a lot of money from creating the image of himself as the ideal of masculinity, wealth, and relationships. The entirety of his empire of wealth was based on online courses, in which he pledged success with women to his followers.

His critics, however, argue that his mentorship perpetuates damaging stereotypes about women that cause men to fail in their romantic lives, not succeed. Here’s why his lessons are considered controversial.

1. Who is Andrew Tate?

Andrew Tate made his name in reality TV and kickboxing. But he went viral on social media between 2021 and 2022, and he quickly gained popularity.

He was American by birth and English by upbringing. His father was an African-American International Master, and his mother was a white woman from Britain working as a catering assistant.

His entire personality, on his viral social media videos, was to show off his luxury lifestyle and his embrace of unapologetic traditionalism. He called himself “Top G,” and it motivated young men to be manlier. It caused his followers to take on an irrational liking for male supremacy, anti-feminism, and money fetishism.

Tate’s personality is one of bravado, sheen, and unapologetic traditionalism. His caricature as a “Top G” attracts young disaffected men, landing him smack in the “manosphere”— a collection of online spaces devoted to the praise of male supremacy, anti-feminism, and gold worship.

His profile was banned on TikTok in 2022 due to his history of misogynistic content, but his material continued to be served up by the algorithm due to his popularity.

2. The Tate Empire: Monetizing Masculinity

Tate has income coming from several different business ventures he’s involved in:

Hustler’s University: It is a subscription-based platform where people are charged $49.99 to see his content, where he basically teaches “wealth creation” through affiliate marketing, crypto, and freelancing.
Webcam business: He had previously operated a webcam studio business, he told himself, in which he took advantage of women’s “emotional weaknesses” for money.
The Real World: This is just a renamed version of Hustler’s University, and it’s being pitched as a “modern-day MBA.”
Social media clout: His controversial views about women, mental health, and success brought him a lot of clout, attracting some followers, and a percentage of those became buyers of his paid content.

He leveraged controversy, weaponized viral outrage, and tapped into a reliable stream of subscription and ad shares.

3. Tate’s Philosophy on Women and Relationships

Tate’s relationship and dating advice are some of the reasons he went viral:

Dominance: He believed that men should have complete dominance in their relationships and then advocated that men show they are in control of the money and that they don’t feel any emotions for the woman.
Objectification: He said that women were assets that had to be managed by their men; he famously compared them to pets.
Traditional roles: He was a proponent that women should be in subjugated roles to cater to their men.
Weaponized wealth: He is famous for flaunting his luxurious cars. His catchphrase, “What’s the color of your Bugatti?” was so popular on the internet, and he claims to be the only person in the world with a golden-colored Bugatti. He believed that status symbols were necessary to appeal to women.

He had a transactional mindset to relationships, in which he saw emotional connection as a weakness.

4. Criticisms: Where Tate Gets It Wrong

Critics and experts note inconsistencies in Tate’s beliefs:

Misogyny: Psychologists argue that his teachings reinforce power differentials in society and raise the frequency of domestic violence and self-esteem problems.
Outdated models: What research shows is that women really desire empathy and partnership even more than control (Pew Research, 2020).
Psychological harm: Some of his male followers might find it hard to form genuine connections with anyone if they follow his teachings, and women find themselves dehumanized if his teachings spread widely in society.
Ethical concerns: Critics say it’s unethical to monetize the insecurities of vulnerable men, selling them unproven promises and short-term solutions.

Dr. John Gottman, one of the leading relationship experts in the world, claims that trust and respect are key components of a healthy relationship, neither of which is present in Tate’s plan.

5. The Impact of Tate’s Teachings

On men: Followers indicated a heightened sense of estrangement after they began to hold negative attitudes towards women.
On women: Some women said they feel unsafe knowing what Tate believes and that it normalizes harassment.
Cultural backlash: Some teachers highlighted a surge in sexism in schools, with young boys repeating Tate’s slogans.

Case studies, including a BBC investigation from 2023, illustrate how Tate is radicalizing young men into anti-feminist beliefs.

6. Conclusion: The danger of misinformation

The powerful influence of Andrew Tate highlights a societal problem: boys who need mentoring in a time of changing gender roles. Simplicity is the answer. However, this contrasts with the advice presented.

He simplifies things, but one of the problems this and other articles raise is that human relationships are not simple.

Healthy relationships are based on the respect of two people, not the control of one. As influencers like Tate cash in on division, the answer is to revel in empathy, encourage critical thinking, and renounce toxic shortcuts to love.

Final thoughts

The rise to fame of Andrew Tate shows the disturbing paradox of a masculinity that feeds on the insecurities of men finding themselves in a world where the old order of the sexes is being rewritten.

Pitching “solutions” that are based on control and materialism, he plays on people’s fears of not being enough, of not mattering, or losing out on something, and delivers a seductive but ultimately toxic blueprint of how to be a success.

But his lessons also defy decades of psychological research that demonstrates how healthy relationships are based on mutual respect, effective communication, and the ability to not only understand your own emotions but also convey them to someone else.

When intimacy becomes a competition, both men and women miss the boat. The contorted sexual economy that Tate’s philosophy lays down leaves men lost and untrusting, incapable of meaningful connection, and women trying to find existential dignity in being pawns in a game they never consented to play.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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