Are they popular in Italy?

After looking at the “article” a little more closely, the “author” seems like a chump and it’s all just goofy interpretations of statistics. It’s trash.

Yeah, those stats probably need to be analyzed with more granularity.

He needs a complex system of propping up crap to maintain a certain measure of wealth. Sure, he could totally cash out and live extremely comfortably for the rest of his life, but it seems like ego is driving him to chase that ephemeral number and status.