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.
Nah, there has been a sort of “escort / hooker distinction” forever. In ancient greece they had pornai who were mostly slaves used almost exclusively for sex, and hetaira who were educated and usually free(libra not gratis) and were even allowed in symposiums(salons). There’s always been class distinctions with sex work.