The “Broligarchy’s” World: 2025’s New Words Reflect the Tech Elite’s Unchecked Power

A new, biting term for the leaders of Silicon Valley, “broligarchy,” has been named one of Collins Dictionary’s words of 2025. Its inclusion reflects a growing public consciousness and criticism of the immense, concentrated power held by the “tech bro” owners of the world’s largest technology companies.
The term “broligarchy” gained notoriety after the high-profile political appearances of these tech leaders, crystalizing a sense that they are a new class of modern oligarchs. The word’s recognition by Collins shows that this critical sentiment has moved from social media chatter into the mainstream lexicon.
It is fitting, then, that the 2025 Word of the Year is a product of this “broligarchy.” The winner, “vibe coding,” describes the AI-driven process of turning natural language into code. This technology, emerging from the companies run by the “broligarchy,” is what is “fundamentally changing our interaction with computers,” according to Collins’ Alex Beecroft.
The list also contains the public’s fearful response: “clanker.” This derogatory term for the AI systems the “broligarchy” is building went viral as an expression of frustration and distrust.
Thus, the 2025 list tells a complete story: the “broligarchy” is rolling out new technology (“vibe coding”), the public is resisting it (“clanker”), and we are all living with the social and economic consequences, reflected in other list-makers like “Henry” (high earner, not rich yet) and “biohacking.”