Held every year in the capital of conservative-leaning Texas, the South by Southwest festival increasingly celebrates the state's emergence as a technology hub stepping out of Silicon Valley's shadow.

The sprawling, counter-cultural conference -- first launched in 1987 as a music festival -- was always a bit of a Texas outlier, just like its host city Austin, a liberal enclave in the middle of a state best known for its big skies, cowboy hats and oil rigs.

The festival, which lasts through Saturday, has mushroomed into a conglomerate of film, comedy, media, cultural and professional events, but none are more in-line with Austin's zeitgeist than those highlighting technology.

Long home to a thriving tech scene, recent years have seen the city inundated with Silicon Valley types, turbocharging the quirky capital's bro element and billionaire contingent.

Among the former is podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan, who produces his distinctly masculine show from Austin, interviewing not just a few of the country's biggest tech titans.

As for billionaires, the most dominant figure is Elon Musk, the SpaceX and Tesla tycoon who has made the Lone Star state his de facto........

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