Meaning
What does Get woke, go broke mean?
Get woke, go broke is the phrase, used to express the phenomenon, that when brands and companies give in to pressure posed by politically correct movements and social justice warriors, they get a massive loss of income.
Even though the expression became mainstream, brands are still continuing to sacrifice historical accuracy among other things for the sake of being politically correct.
Origin
What's the origin of Get woke, go broke?
The expression comes from the bestselling science fiction author, John Ringo, whose quote was popularized by the conservative journalist, Milo Yiannopoulos in 2018.
He was quoting the phrase in relation to the financial damage, companies take when embracing politically correct and liberal ideals.
Spread & Usage
How did Get woke, go broke spread?
The expression got its place on Urban Dictionary in 2018, shortly after the publicity gained from the British advocate of conservationist ideas.
Here the author of the entry wrote numerous fine examples of the phenomenon happening to brands.
Shortly after this, a controversy broke out surrounding the video game Battlefield V, which was further pushed on by the video of YouTuber, TheQuartering.
Following this, several other online personalities delved deep into the phenomenon, with many references to the original phrase; Get woke, go broke.

External resources
- Urban Dictionary โ Get Woke, Go Broke
- Know Your Meme โ Get Woke Go Broke