> but who is the customer base after that?

That's the fun part, there is none (in the traditional way of people buying things at least).

> Why would I invest my earning into sustaining a machine that ideally is extracting every cent possible without leeway and funneling it up the pyramid.

You shouldn't! Unfortunately everyone acting in their own self interest still results in this getting funded, since if such a machine were to exist, would it not be better to have a share of it?

I agree with your perspective! I just don't think that, as a species, we have a good track record of saying no to the existence of 2000hp trucks with ALMOST no use.