AI zeroed the cost of fake wealth flexes — and a signal that costs nothing to fake carries no information
aakashgupta · x · 2026-09-30
The author traces the industry of faking a rich life: in 2017 a Moscow company rented a grounded private jet for photo shoots at $240 a session; by 2020 LA influencers booked a fake jet-cabin studio on Peerspace for $64/hour until a viral thread exposed it; now people generate Dubai rooftops, Monaco marinas and surrounding models for free with AI.
The logic is costly signaling: luxury photos worked as proof because the backdrop was expensive — hundreds for a Monaco rooftop table, thousands for bottle service in Dubai — and viewers priced that in unconsciously, like a peacock's tail as evidence of health.
AI dropped the cost of the tail to zero, and a signal that costs nothing to fake carries no information.
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