That's is not what the problem is, lol, not by far. Nothing is a problem if you look at it in a short enough timeframe.

I'm not complaining about the few more people that discover Linux, I'm complaining that we are systemically introducing the same problems we want to get away from ("that the price is high/threatening", especially now that desktop Linux is on a steady rise & we need such """endorsements""" the least).

But "Linux" isn't giving him any money either, surely. This argument breaks down because of that.

What? With influencers it's what is monetisable in any current situation, what gets more views (and more money with that via various channels - atm "Linux" gives him revenue via selling ads etc to more people, if you offer him more money than that, he will sell whatever you say, that's his profession). If a megacorp wants to get in on it they freely can. At any point. But it would be a lot harder to do that if we don't/didn't have professional ad-people (no background, just as the money winds go) intertwined from the "start".
Financial power of a/any megacorps dictating foss just leads to monopoly again (eg how Google took over & is now closing more and more the "Android Linux"). And it makes it harder for projects to get support from "the people" vs "what is the most monetisable for some private entity".

Overlooking that is akin to saying scalpers help redistribute the product. Technically, sure, so "what are you complaining abut, so cyclical."

Talking about foss has literally become marketable. That's the only reason professional influencers are talking about it now. And people listening to them will listen to whatever they say next too. And that ("money talks, bullshit walks") is a bad future for foss which should be by it's nature free of such incentives bcs it just becomes another megacorps monopoly.

Going into foss & financially rewarding corps that aren't dedicated to open principles is just the current market situation (MS & Google) but with sparkles. It inevitably leads to more inequalities.