Paying an escort to spend time with you certainly doesn’t come with the same sacrifices as an organic relationship. And, unlike chatbots, “nerdy escorts” are real people who can provide human perspectives on things like AI, crypto and economics instead of just echoing back a tech worker’s thoughts on such subjects.
That’s how these lonely bigoted dorks with new money think being rich and powerful and cool works - overpay for whatever you want and force others to give it to you, with money you gained through slave labor, destructive practices, stealing from future generations and corruption. They think might makes right, so yeah, they think they’re elite for paying people to pretend to care about them when they’re not on stage or social media or in a board room.
That sadly seems to check out. I suppose they see themselves as somewhat too good to talk to the common person, so paying someone to talk to them is a privilege for them. Never mind the fact that once you give someone money they are going to change their attitude towards you in hopes you give them more. I wonder if some of these folks have ever had a normal conversation that didn’t involve some scifi shit. (I love scifi)
I think the whole thing is self-selecting. People with social skills usually are able to get on in life without having to resort to becoming tech billionaires.
I know that sounds odd, but I think most people don’t actually have that drive in their life that is necessary to become extraordinarily rich and powerful precisely because they have human connections that satiate them enough that they don’t become obnoxious workaholics.
Back before the banking industry became synonymous with fat cat CEOs it was a relatively pedestrian career full of normal people. Then the era of huge bonuses came along and suddenly it became attractive to the sort of person that seeks power and wealth above all else.