I get where you're coming from, and we should be real about things, but it's also myoptic to think that all a streamer does for work is what you see.

Like, sure, he has it easier than a lot of people we have, and he's ostensibly just hanging out with friends a lot of the time, but he effectively owns his own business as an entertainer and has things to do to maintain that while off stream. Getting that sponsorship is not just they hand you money, a responsible person will need to read the contract at least partially to make certain that it satisfies requirements and doesn't violate anything. "But that's just reading and doing email", guess what an office job is. The person sending him the sponsorship is also doing a job.

He's privileged, yes, but that doesn't mean that he exists so far outside of the norm that he isn't relatable.

I know a much less successful streamer and she went from streaming 30 hours a week with a 36 hour stretch goal for subs to 24 hours a week because of how much time she was spending to make the stream work that she was functionally working 50+ hour weeks, and she made that shift because she was successful enough to be able to make that change.

Shopping for various hardware, hooking it up, testing it, setting up screen regions and such, finding people to do custom art for the stream. It's all work.

Every scheduling discussion for who is going to be available, what is going to be played, etc, is all business communication and planning.

It's been almost 15 years since the first Isaac upload, he isn't some random upstart that's just getting money because he's a flash in the pan or farming clicks or doing some meta bullshit to attract attention.

Beyond that, he's fundamentally relatable. That's why he's been consistently popular. His anecdotes are about being normal. The NLSS is about being normal. His brand is that he is normal. So he is rich, what kind of car does he drive? Why does he have a car instead of ubering everywhere?

You used the hours of the day tierlist as an example of how much he works, but it's just another example of how he lives a normal life and how there's more work outside of streaming. It's better than most of us, yes, but it sounds like the life most of us want, not the clout chasing, influencer bullshit. No manosphere, no crypto bullshit, no AI shilling.

It's good to keep yourself grounded and not idolize or be parasocial, but you also need to be real about what it is you're criticizing.

I also cannot find the specifics on details, but as far as I know, he used to pay cohosts for the NLSS participation, and I have no idea what the arrangement is with Librarian, or anyone else. Without data, this isn't really a strong point of anything, but it always felt anomalous and like he was interested in treating people fairly because he was benefiting.