The Entourage Economy

Extract from Curtis White's 'We, Robots'

"The long and short of this is that what survives of the middle class in the future will be a servant class. A class of motivators. A class of sycophants, whose jobs will depend not only on their skills but on their ability to flatter and provide pleasure for elites. As David Brooks sees it, this will be a class of "greeters" (a cruel piece of nomenclature), people with a "capacity for high-end service...and flattery." Call this the "Entourage Economy." Your masseuse has got your back.*
*As usual there will be greeters and there will be super-greeters. If you are fortunate enough to be coaching a member of the top .01 percent, your compensation can be equal to that of the 1 percent. For example, Marshall Goldsmith - whose clients include Henry Ford CEO Alan Mulally - charges $25,000 for a one-day coaching seminar.
 


The self-pampering of the moneyed class seems to know few limits. The rich can now consult "financial therapists" when they become anxious about their financial condition. Part therapist and part adviser, financial therapists charge $2,000 per hour at the upper end, but claim that they can achieve clarity and calm for their clients. They do not take pro-bono cases for people who are stressed about not having any money at all."
~Curtis White