In the past few months my Instagram feed has become inundated with “hustle bros.” A distinct segment of the manosphere, these self-help influencers offer “advice” on how to become a successful entrepreneur and “escape the matrix.” The “advice” usually comes in the form of paid online course, like the Tate brothers’ “Hustler’s University.” There is a built-in irony here, these courses are generally the hustle bro’s primary source of income. For them, the path to getting rich is telling other people how to get rich. 

One of the latest hustle bros to gain traction is Luke Belmar. Luke went viral after someone posted a clip of him talking about drinking Johnnie Walker Blue with fellow hustle bro Tristan Tate. The tag line from the video, “I studied”, went viral. People online had a field day recreating the viral clip, reenacting the speech in public and amongst their friends. For Luke, it seems the video went viral for all the wrong reasons. People weren’t listening to his advice to “study”, they were mocking him. Who is Luke Belmar, and can his rise in popularity tell us about the manosphere?

A quick preface to this article, I am often repulsed by the manosphere and disagree with 99% of the things these guys say. I do, however, find them fascinating. I think it’s important to try and understand these people to combat the toxicity of the manosphere. 

Who is Luke Belmar?

It’s hard to find information on Luke Belmar’s origins. He claims he was born in a small village Argentina and moved to the United States with just $200 when he was 16. According to Belmar, he made his initial fortune through investments in cryptocurrency and “e-commerce.” He then went on to found the Capital Club in 2019. According to Capital Club’s website, it is “the fastest growing entrepreneur club in the world.” Looking at Luke Belmar’s origins we see a common theme among hustle bros – extremely vague origins. It’s not clear how much money he made from crypto or where he got the money to invest in crypto in the first place. Like most hustle bros, they expect you to take them at face value. Being vague is one of the keys to being a successful hustle bro, imply your wealth, posting pictures in exotic locales and driving luxury cars, but never show your actual worth.

What Makes Luke Different?

There are two ideological traits that usually define hustle bros, misogyny and conspiratorial thinking. The first trait is relatively self-explanatory, these guys hate women and believe they are superior to them (a lot of men drawn to the manosphere are frustrated with their inability to interact with women). The second trait, conspiratorial thinking, generally coincides with the idea that you need to “escape the matrix.” There is a loose narrative hustle bros have created that “they” are trying to suppress you; “they” are trying to prevent you from knowing the truth. The hustle bro will often tell you to “do your own research” and “come to your own conclusions.” Where does one perform their own research? That is never really explained nor deemed important. These two tenants are often combined to form the message that getting rich is the key to life. If you are rich, women will like you and you can escape the reality “they” have made for you.

Luke fits neatly into this mold. However, combing through his hours of content, he can be seen talking about how a woman can “empower you” and claims it is important to be loyal to your partner. I will note his language surrounding women does imply a male-centric view of the world, but there is a sliver of hope here and it’s a departure from the blatant misogyny of the Tate brothers. Like most hustle bros, Luke peddles in his share of conspiracy theories. I find great humor in his theories because they are bat shit insane. He claims root canals are a psyop by big pharma, and in this clip he rattles off some insane theories (tsunamis?) while claiming exactly what I stated above. The only way to avoid the catastrophic consequences of these conspiracy theories is to make money. He is no different than any other hustle bro when it comes to his theories, he just happens to be unintentionally funny.

The Contradictions of Luke Belmar

Despite his claims that money is necessary to avoid catastrophe, Luke also claims that living a virtuous life is more important than money. Like many other hustle bros, his doctrine requires that you ignore the numerous contradictions contained within. In the clip linked above, Belmar calls Charlie Munger, a former vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, a “hero”, stating he embodied the virtue-over-money ideology. It’s ironic that Luke calls Mr. Munger his hero, Mr. Munger once called cryptocurrency a “noxious poison.” Does Luke Belmar, a strong advocate for cryptocurrency, know this? Probably not.

These contradictions are a byproduct of another trait any successful hustle bro must have – the willingness to say whatever thought pops into your head, regardless of its implications. To be a successful hustle bro, you have to just say shit and hope something sticks. Does it need to be true? No. Does it need to make sense? Not really. The only thing that matters is saying something that will garner a response. In the end, the name of the game is getting clicks. Despite all their advice and so-called “entrepreneurship”, they are engaged in the same business as any other influencer – getting views. It just so happens that there is a built-in audience of young men hungry for bullshit investment advice. Why build an audience when one already exists? 

Conclusion

Luke copied the playbook of all the hustle bros before him but gained prominence because he became a meme. Looking through the comments on his posts, and the reactions of the podcast hosts he chats with, it doesn’t appear that many people are listening to his advice. People just like to hear the guy talk because he’s funny. There is a silver lining in the rise of Luke Belmar. His contradictions and freezing cold takes shine a light on the ludicrousness of hustle bro culture. By aligning himself with the Tate brothers (drinking f***ing Johnnie Walker, in the war room) and then going on to spout off about the dangers of root canals, he unintentionally tears down the façade these influencers have spent years building. He exposes the hustle bros for what they really are, frauds with zero business sense. If you really want to learn how to make money, why not take the advice of someone who is actually rich, for example, Luke’s hero Charlie Munger. Luke has emerged in the manosphere like the first horseman of the manosphere Apocalypse. Hopefully, the apocalypse is right around the corner.