Low effort? Sorry man, wax philosophical all you want. End of the day, these people do it purely for money. Even if greed extends beyond that, right here, right now, it’s about money.
Call it a tool. Sure. But a tool’s purpose is decided by the one who wields it. Not by it’s original intent. So no, money isn’t an low effort answer. I could point at everything you said being the “Real” reason. But in the end of the day, it all leads back to money.